Perfect Imperfections
by MusicFreak814
Summary: Have you ever heard of Hogwarts getting a transfer student from another magical school? Ashleigh Scott is a transfer student from Canada, but what happens that makes her transfer in the middle of her magical education? Will she be able to make friends once she's at Hogwarts or will she lead a lonely life? **This story takes place during and after Hogwarts**Please Review** :)
1. Prologue

**Hey all, this is a story I just randomly thought of and I figured I'd write it out to share with you. I've changed it up a bit from the books. This story brings a whole new side to Fred and George Weasley, the sensitive romantic side instead of just the pranks and jokes. The story also skips through time quite a bit and quite quickly, but I do my best with filling in the time that has passed in a paragraph or two.**

 **Hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think**

It was nearing the end of the summer and Hogwarts students were busying themselves in Diagon Alley, collecting everything they'd need. Harry Potter was entering his fourth year with his best friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. They couldn't be more excited to go back to school.

September 1st came quickly and the students boarded the train and were on their way to school. Fred and George Weasley were in there sixth year and everyone couldn't help but notice Fred and Hermione had eyes for each other. No one said anything, but Ron wasn't too happy about it. They got to the castle, went to the feast and watched the first years get sorted.

"Welcome! To a new year at Hogwarts", Dumbledore announced. "Welcome first years", he smiled. "Before we start the sorting ceremony, I'd like to introduce our New Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alistair Moody", everyone applauded. Dumbledore finished his speech and let McGonagall take over.

"When I call your name, please step forward so you can be sorted", she said and started calling the first years up one-by-one. After everyone was sorted, there was still one person standing there and no one knew why. She stood there with her head down, looking embarrassed at being the only one left.

The girl standing alone in the middle of the hall looked like she was about 5 feet 7 inches tall with medium length hair so dark it looked almost black, but it was actually brown. She wasn't thin like Hermione; she was slightly bigger around the middle, but not quite as big as Harry's cousin Dudley. No one could see her face though as her back was to them and her face was down.

Dumbledore got back up. "This student here is not a first year, but she is new to Hogwarts this year. This is the first time Hogwarts has had an international student... Since I've been here at least", he added, causing people to laugh since everyone knew Dumbledore had been there for many years. "This young lady is in her fourth year of magical studies and is transferring to us from The Canadian School of Magic. I expect you all to welcome her with open arms. But first things first, we need to get Miss. Scott sorted", he motioned for her to come up to the stool. McGonagall put the sorting hat on her and it pondered for ten minutes before shouting:

"Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table erupted into applause at having the only ever international transfer. McGonagall showed her which table she needed to go to so she headed over to the table and people instantly made room for her. She kept her head down during the entire feast so no one got a real good look at her.

After the feast was finished, they all headed up to the common room, McGonagall taking the transfer student up, to show her where she would be sleeping.

"Ah, Miss Granger. This is Ashleigh. She will be staying in your dormitory now. Ashleigh, this is Hermione Granger", Hermione stuck her hand out to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you", Hermione said.

"Likewise", Ashleigh said, shaking her hand. She was showed to her bed and all of her belongings had been brought up already.

"All right, I'll let you settle in Miss Scott", McGonagall said, leaving.

"Thank you", she said to McGonagall's retreating back.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I think you'll like it here", Hermione smiled, sitting on her bed, which was next to Ashleigh's.

"I hope so", Ashleigh sighed, sitting down as well. She went quiet and Hermione couldn't help but notice the look in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Just trying to get used to the idea of living in Britain now", Ashleigh told her.

"Okay. But if you need someone to show you around or just a friend, I'll be happy to help", Hermione told her leaving the room.

Ashleigh got changed for bed and slid under the blankets, pulling the curtains around the bed. She laid down and cried herself to sleep.

Down in the common room, Hermione met up with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George.

"How's the new girl?" Ron asked.

"She seems nice. But I think she's a little anxious and scared about being here. She looked like she was ready to cry", Hermione said. They all went quiet for a while.

"I think we should try to befriend her", Harry said. Everyone nodded in agreement. They all sat there talking for a bit before parting and going up to bed.

The next morning everyone went down to breakfast, but Hermione didn't see Ashleigh at all. She told McGonagall that she would give her timetable to her. McGonagall thanked her and moved on. After breakfast Hermione went back up to her dormitory to find Ashleigh sitting on her bed, it looked as if she had been crying.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, startling her out of her trance.

"I'll be okay. I'm not even sure why I'm crying", she laughed, wiping the tears away. "How come you're back?"

"I told Professor McGonagall that I would give you your timetable since you didn't turn up at breakfast".

"Oh, that's so kind of you. Thank you", Ashleigh smiled, taking the paper.

"You're welcome. We have all classes together, since we're taking all the same ones. Each class has two different houses, but the same year. So if you want to come with me, we can sit together", Hermione told her.

"I'd like that", she smiled. She went with Hermione down to their double Transfiguration class, which was with Professor McGonagall. They sat together and McGonagall smiled and hoped that Hermione and her friends would let Ashleigh into their group.

Two hours later and class was over, they had potions next and then it was lunch. Hermione warned Ashleigh about Professor Snape while they walked to the Dungeons. Ashleigh kept her mouth shut in class, even though Snape thought it funny to pick on her.

"Starting here in fourth year. What is happening to this world?" He said as he walked past her. She just ignored him. He obviously didn't know the reason for her to have to transfer to a new school and leave her other school and only friend. Hermione could see that it was bothering her so she took Snape's attention off of her.

"Thank you for that", Ashleigh said as they walked to the Great Hall.

"No problem. I told you, if you need a friend, I'm here", Hermione said as they entered the hall and saw her friends.

"No one was ever this nice to me at my last school. They all called me nasty names because of the way I look and how much they think I weigh", Ashleigh told Hermione.

"Well my friends and I don't discriminate against or judge people, and especially for something so silly like that", Hermione said as they made their way through the hall. "You just have to watch out for Malfoy and his cronies. He's the bleach blond in Slytherin, sitting right there", Hermione pointed with her eyes. Ashleigh followed her gaze.

"Thanks for the warning", she smiled. Hermione nodded as she sat down with her friends. Ashleigh stood there awkwardly.

"You can sit down, we don't bite", a pretty red head told her. "I'm Ginny Weasley", she smiled and made room for her.

"Thank you. I'm Ashleigh Scott. Nice to meet you". The boys at the table were all looking at Quidditch magazines, so Ashleigh just looked down again.

"Boys, you guys are so rude", Hermione scoffed.

"What?" They all said together.

"We have someone new sitting with us and you don't even introduce yourselves", Hermione glared.

"Sorry", they all mumbled.

"Ron Weasley", she shook his hand.

"Harry Potter".

"Wait, that's true?" She asked.

"What?" He asked.

"You and the whole thing with your parents and a dark wizard who wanted to kill you and take over Britain or something", she said.

"Oh, yeah it's true. You didn't know for sure?" Harry asked.

"No. It was all only rumors at my school in Canada", she told them. They all nodded they're understanding. "Anyway, sorry for interrupting", she laughed and shook Harry's hand.

"Fred Weasley", she shook his hand. Fred hit another guy over the head with his magazine.

"What?" He asked, frustrated.

"Stop being a git and introduce yourself", Fred told the other guy, who must've been his twin, Ashleigh thought.

"Sorry. George Weasley. The better looking twin", he laughed but stopped when Ashleigh looked up at him and he saw her for the first time. He stared at her for a minute before she finally said something.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked, wiping her face.

"No. George is just weird", Ginny laughed. Fred hit him again and he snapped out of it.

"Sorry. Nice to meet you. What was your name?" George asked.

"Ashleigh Scott. Nice to meet you too", she smiled and shook his hand.


	2. Ashleigh's Reason

"So what was that at lunch today?" Fred asked his twin that night in their dormitory.

"I have no idea what you're talking about", George stated, thinking back to when he met Ashleigh.

"Don't lie. You know exactly what I'm talking about", Fred said. "What was going through your head mate?"

"I dunno", George sighed. "Did you see her eyes?" He asked Fred. He thought back to when Ashleigh looked at him. "She had the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen", he gushed then froze. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes, you dork", Fred laughed as George blushed.

"Pretend you didn't hear that", George said and got under his covers to go to bed.

Over in the girls' dorm, Hermione and Ashleigh were talking about the first day.

"Did you think Professor Moody seemed strange?" Ashleigh asked Hermione.

"Yeah. But that's why they call him Mad-Eye Moody", Hermione told her.

"I never heard that. Is it also because of his funky eye?" She asked. Hermione nodded. "Ohhh. Anyway, what was with that guy George staring at me? It kinda weirded me out", Ashleigh asked.

"Honestly, it looked like he took a liking to you. But boys never admit it for a long time. Doesn't matter their age", Hermione laughed. "Why the look of shock?"

"I've never had someone take an interest in me as a friend, let alone a boy actually _liking_ me", she said.

"You're kidding, right?" Ashleigh shook her head. "That's outrageous. You're beautiful, especially your eyes, they're stunning", Hermione said making Ashleigh blush.

"Oh, thank you. The only people who ever said anything like that to me, were my parents", Ashleigh told Hermione.

"Well anyone who has ever seen you is crazy then", Hermione told her as they shut the light off to go to sleep.

"Thank you Hermione. I think I'll like it here, all because of you and your friends", Ashleigh smiled.

"You're welcome", Hermione smiled back. Ashleigh fell into an easier sleep than the night before and didn't cry.

The rest of that week went by pretty quickly and it was the weekend in no time. Hermione was really the only one who she saw through the week. She saw the others at meal times, but that was about it. It was Saturday morning when Hermione and Ashleigh walked down to the common room and the boys were laughing at something.

"What is going on down here?" Hermione said, noticing the red face of George Weasley.

"Oh, nothing", George said.

"It's not nothing. Fred can't keep a secret to save his life, so naturally he's told me and Harry something really interesting", Ron laughed. Hermione suspected she knew what it was.

"Ronald you keep your mouth shut. Come on", Hermione said pulling Ashleigh and Ginny with her outside the common room.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"I'm pretty sure the boys were making fun of George for his reaction when he saw Ashleigh on the first day. And no doubt Ron was gonna scream it to the whole common room. So I wanted to save Ashleigh from the embarrassment", Hermione explained. Ginny nodded.

"Thanks Hermione. I don't know how many times I've said that to you this week", Ashleigh laughed.

'It's fine. What are friends for?" She smiled.

The girls spent the day talking and getting to know each other more. Ashleigh told them about her life back home and that her mum is a witch and dad is a muggle. She told them about all the horrible stuff she endured at muggle school and then at her magic school.

"I suffer from anxiety and depression now because of it. And then just over a month ago…" She paused, the tears coming. They didn't rush her. "M-My parents were killed in a car accident. A transport truck ran a stop light and crashed into them", now she was fully crying. Hermione and Ginny both grabbed her in a hug.

"Oh my goodness. It's okay, let it out. Is this why you were sad your first night here?" Hermione asked. Ashleigh nodded her head. She cried for about twenty minutes but finally stopped and finished her story.

"So when I was told they'd died, I had to get into contact with mom's sister and other family that still lived in England. They knew about me and I them, but we'd never met. They came to the funeral and they knew I'm magical so they asked if I wanted to live with them. I had no other family except my dad's, so I came here. I didn't want to quit my magic studies so I couldn't go live with muggles. They couldn't know about me".

"Wow, you poor thing. That's a lot to deal with at 14". Hermione said. Ginny nodded.

"I know. But thank you for listening. It's nice having someone to talk to. I only had one friend back home, but she was famous for telling everyone everything, so I couldn't confide in her with anything. But with you guys, I just feel so much, like I can trust you", Ashleigh finished.

"You can", they both said and hugged her again. By this time it was supper time so they headed back to the school from there tree by the lake. They walked into the Great Hall and found their friends sitting there already. Ashleigh sat beside Hermione and across from Fred & George.

"So I hear you've taken a liking to Ashleigh", Ginny whispered in George's ear as she walked by him. This caused him to spit out his big mouthful of juice, all over Ashleigh and Hermione.

"Smooth!" Harry, Ron, Fred and Ginny laughed like hyenas. Hermione and Ashleigh on the other hand were all wet and sticky from the juice and weren't too happy.

"It's your fault Ginny", Hermione said.

"I know", she laughed. "At least I didn't scream what I said, only you guys heard", she added. George looked at the girls apologetically.

"I'm so sorry. My brat of a sister doesn't know when to shut her mouth", George said, grabbing napkins to help them clean up.

"It's okay", Ashleigh laughed slightly. None of them had heard her laugh yet. "I got it. But thank you George", she smiled sweetly at him. It didn't go unmissed.

After supper, Hermione and Ashleigh showered and then did some homework before having girl talk. Ginny came to their dorm so they could have their girl talk.

"So, we saw that smile you gave my brother today", Ginny said. Ashleigh blushed.

"So, what about it?" She asked innocently.

"You were flirting with him", Hermione said.

"No, I certainly was not", Ashleigh kept trying to deny it. "Fine, okay, maybe I was. He's kinda cute", she finally admitted. Her face went as red as a tomato.

"You know, I think he thinks you're cute too", Hermione smiled.

"I told you though; I've never done this before. I've never had one guy ever like me and I still doubt it anyway. My brain is wired to doubt things because of my lack of self-confidence", Ashleigh said.

"Well you need to rewire your brain because I know my brother pretty well, he likes you", Ginny smirked.

"I dunno. It all kinda scares me to be honest".

"Don't let it scare you. We'll be here for you", Hermione told her. Ashleigh smiled and hugged the girls.

"And you Hermione, we all know you like Fred and he likes you. You should go for it", Ginny said.

"All it will do is hurt Ron", Hermione told her younger friend.

"Who cares what Ronald thinks, he can suck it up. If you like Fred, you need to go for it", Ginny encouraged her.

"You know what, maybe I will", Hermione smiled.

"Good", Ginny said, hugging her friend. They talked a little longer but then Ginny had to go to bed. Hermione and Ashleigh went to bed after Ginny left.


	3. Halloween

It was now October and the school was buzzing about Halloween, as the whole school was decorated. But the most amazing thing to Ashleigh; was the Great Hall. She thought it was incredible. She was really enjoying going to school at Hogwarts and loved the friends she made. She and George continued to share glances and flirt a bit, which made some girls around school jealous. They talked during meal times, getting to know each other a little better.

"Look who it is, the new transfer girl", she turned around and saw the one Hermione told her to watch out for.

"And you are?" She asked.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy", he sneered. "Not that I need to tell you that. Now you're friends with the mudblood, we're automatic enemies. Which means I need to be insulting to you. And that should be no problem, considering you look like that", he waved a hand up and down toward her. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone made fun of her appearance.

"You know, that's not the first time I heard that. And I've heard all about you. You're just an arrogant ass who has nothing better to do than insult people", she said. By this time people had started to gather round, including her new friends.

"Whatever you filthy cow", Draco sneered. "I can sum you up in a short amount of time. You're fat, ugly, in fact, you look like a pig but as big as a cow", he and his cronies laughed. "You waddle like a penguin, probably because you're double sized", all of a sudden he was frozen with a ridiculous look on his face.

"Serves you right. Not the first time I heard any of those either", she said, holding back the tears as the hall was full of people. She didn't know who cast petrificus totalus, but she was grateful. Hermione came up behind her and led her away and up to the common room. She went straight up to her dorm. Hermione and Ginny followed.

"Are you alright?" They asked.

"No. I thought I was going to be able to go to school for once and be happy. I was perfectly happy until he showed his awful face", Ashleigh broke down.

"Hey, okay, okay. Sit down. Listen, you can talk to either of us about anything okay. You told us about your depression, and we want to help you. And if it's any consolation, George is the one who cast that spell", Hermione told her.

"H-He did?" Ashleigh asked.

"Yes", Ginny told her. "He stuck up for you as best as he could, without going completely mental", she added. Ashleigh nodded and laid down. Hermione sat down beside her and rubbed her back. Ginny went back down to the common room after a few minutes.

"How is she?" Harry asked.

"Not good. She thought she could finally be happy at school but Malfoy just had to ruin it for her", Ginny seethed. "Hermione is still up there comforting her. She does thank you though George, for stunning Malfoy". He nodded, sitting down.

Ashleigh had cried herself to sleep and Hermione felt so bad for her. She had never been called those names, but she was called mudblood all the time from Malfoy, but she was used to Malfoy's snide and nasty comments and name calling. That was Ashleigh's first experience with Malfoy. Hermione got herself ready for bed and slipped under the covers. She shed a few tears for Ashleigh before falling asleep herself.

The next morning, Ashleigh refused to get out of bed. So she asked Hermione to tell the professor's that she was sick today. Hermione knew she shouldn't but given the prior day's events, she did just that. The rest of the crew was concerned about her, but Hermione told them she wasn't feeling well, to keep up the façade. Though they all knew what was really wrong. She told them she was going to check on her between classes and on breaks.

Back in the dorm, Ashleigh got out of bed to use the washroom. She was distraught and when she opened her toiletries bag, she found her razors, in which she used to cut with. She hadn't done it since she started school, but after yesterday, she pulled out the razor. She usually cut her legs, as to keep them out of site. She did this while in the shower and the pain helped sooth her emotional problems. She knew it was wrong, she knew she needed to talk to someone, but right now, in this moment, this was what she had. She got out of the shower, wrapped up her leg to stop the bleeding and pulled her pyjamas back on. She went back to her room and climbed under the blankets, as Hermione came in to check on her.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"I've been better", she mumbled.

"I know. All the others are worried about you", Hermione told her. "And I brought you some food", she added. Ashleigh poked her head out of her covers.

"Thank you", she tried to smile.

"You're welcome. I wish you would come out", Hermione said softly.

"I know. Right now, I feel like I can't face the school. After they all saw what happened yesterday", Ashleigh said, letting a few tears fall.

"I know. But if you get back out there, show them it didn't faze you", Hermione said.

"Tomorrow, I will", Ashleigh told Hermione.

"Okay. That's good enough for me", Hermione smiled and left the bag with food beside her when she left. She was starving so she ate and then wrote in her journal. She had seen a therapist back home a year ago and she told her to write all of her feelings down in a journal, whenever she felt down. Hermione kept checking on Ashleigh throughout the day and she always seemed a bit better than the last time. After classes and dinner, Hermione brought Ashleigh her homework from the day and stayed upstairs all night with her to keep her company.

The next morning, like she said she would, Ashleigh got up and got ready for the day. She felt ready to conquer the school now. Hermione was proud of her. They walked out of the dorm and into the common room, where the others were waiting for her.

"Feeling better?" Ginny asked.

"Much", she smiled.

 _She has a beautiful smile_ , George thought to himself. He found that he stared a little too long, but he smiled back.

"Thank you George, for stunning the prat", Ashleigh smiled and walked out of the portrait with Ginny and Hermione. She heard George say you're welcome but then the portrait closed. They went down to breakfast and Malfoy smirked at her, but she didn't let it bother her.

"Good job. Don't let the git get to you. He's been calling me mudblood for two years. But I've gotten used to it. It bothered me art first, but not anymore", Hermione told Ashleigh.

"Someone needs to teach him a lesson", Ashleigh said as the others arrived and sat down.

"We agree", they all chimed.

"We're glad you came out of hiding today", Ginny told her.

"So am I. I've never had so many people care about me before. So I guess I was just used to hiding away when something like that or worse happened", Ashleigh explained. They all nodded their understanding.


	4. Meeting The Weasley's

It was nearing the end of November and everything seemed to be okay now. No one had bothered Ashleigh, not even Malfoy. She did get sneers from jealous girls because George was flirting with her, but that was all.

"So, I wrote to mum to tell her all about you", Ginny smiled.

"Awe, you didn't need to do that", Ashleigh blushed.

"But I wanted to. And she wrote back. She thinks it's great that Hogwarts has allowed an international transfer student. She also asked about your accent", Ginny laughed. Ashleigh looked at her, puzzled. "Well we have an accent to you, and you have an accent to us", Ginny said.

"I never actually thought about that before. Huh", Ashleigh laughed at herself.

"Anyway, I told her that it was a nice accent. She really wants to meet you and wants you to come home with us for at least a few days over Christmas, if not the whole holiday", Ginny told her.

"Oh, no. I don't want to impose", Ashleigh said.

"You wouldn't be. Harry and Hermione are always with us, if we don't stay here. And mum really wants you to. Look", she said, showing Ashleigh the letter.

"Wow. I don't see why not. I'll owl my aunt and see what they're doing. I've never spent any time with them except the last month of summer. So I don't know that they'd want me there anyway", Ashleigh said pulling out parchment and a quill. She wrote a quick letter to her aunt and asked Ginny where she could send it off. Ginny took her up to the Owlery for the first time and showed her Harry's owl.

"Harry said you can use Hedwig. The rest of us do too. Unless she's already busy", Ginny told her.

"Oh, okay, thanks", Ashleigh smiled and sent the letter off.

The next day she received a letter back. She went down to the common room to tell Ginny and Hermione.

"My aunt says it's fine if I go with you. She said I can stay the whole holiday if I want. She thinks it's great that I made friends and they actually want me to go home with them", Ashleigh laughed a little. "Her and my mom talked once a week and mom used to tell her all about me not having friends and stuff. So she's okay with me spending time with my new ones", she explained.

"Awesome!" Ginny shrieked.

"What's awesome?" Fred asked as him, George, Harry and Ron all sat down.

"Ashleigh is spending Christmas and New Years with us", Ginny smiled.

"That is pretty awesome, eh George?" Fred nudged his twin. Causing Ashley to blush, so she hid her face behind her letter.

The month of December leading up to the holiday went by rather slowly. Everyone was excited to have two weeks off and go home. They all packed and headed off to Hogsmeade station, to get the train back to London.

"Hey, you alright?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, just nervous about meeting the rest of your family", Ashleigh said quietly.

"Ah, don't be. They'll love you. Mum probably set up another cot in my room for you, so it's not like you won't have privacy if you need it", Ginny told her. She nodded and stared blankly out the window. The ride to London was pretty uneventful. When they got to the platform, Ashleigh saw her aunt waiting there for her.

"Aunt Tracie, what're you doing here?" She asked, giving her a hug.

"I know you're going with your friends, but I wanted to meet them", she said excitedly.

"Well this is Hermione and Ginny. It's Ginny's mum who invited me. And I guess her brothers and Harry have gone off already".

"Nice to meet you ladies", Tracie said shaking both their hands.

"You as well", they both said.

"Oh, I see mum. Come on, I'll introduce you both to her and you can meet my obnoxious brothers", Ginny laughed. She led them over to a plump woman with red hair like the rest of them.

"Mum, this is Ashleigh and her Aunt Tracie", Ginny said.

"Oh, pleasure to meet you both", she smiled, shaking their hands.

"Likewise", Ashleigh said as Tracie said, "Pleasure to meet you too".

"So are you still coming over to our house Ashleigh?"

"Yes Mrs. Weasley. My aunt just wanted to meet everyone before I went off with new people", Ashleigh laughed.

"Understandable", Molly smiled.

"Aunt Tracie, this is Harry, Ron, Fred and George. Guys this is my aunt Tracie, who I live with outside of Hogwarts", she introduced them. They all shook hands and left the station. Tracie left in her car while Molly led the children over to a hidden fireplace.

"Floo?" Ashleigh asked. They all nodded and went one-by-one and called out 'The Burrow'. They all arrived with soot on their clothes but dusted it off. Ashleigh couldn't believe the house she was in. It was small to have all those people living in it, but it was still nice. She looked up the stairs and realized it was really tall as well.

"Everyone, put your luggage in your rooms. Ashleigh, you will be staying in Ginny's room with her and Hermione", Molly told her. She nodded and followed Ginny up the stairs.

"Your mom is so nice", Ashleigh said as Ginny shut the door.

"Not all the time. But to our friends she is", Ginny smiled.

"Your aunt seemed nice too", Hermione added.

"Yeah, she is. As much as I know her anyway. I've only properly known her for a month", she said. They nodded and put their suitcases on their beds. Ginny showed her which cot she would be sleeping on. "I think this is going to be incredible. I just wish my parents were here to share it", Ashleigh sighed.

"I know, but they're still alive in your heart", Ginny told her. Ashleigh nodded. "But we're going to have fun. Snowball fights, snowman building contest, hot chocolate", Ginny listed. Ashleigh smiled at the thought. "What's that?" Ginny asked.

"It's a mobile CD Player, called a Discman. I listen to my favorite muggle singers and bands with it", Ashleigh explained and showed her how it works and gave her the headphones.

"This is incredible", Ginny smiled. "I think I like this song so far".

"It's called More Than Anyone by Gavin Degraw. One of my favorites", Ashleigh told her.

"It's good", Ginny said, smiling. Ashleigh nodded in agreement and let her listen to the CD. Molly called them all down for supper and Ashleigh stood there awkwardly, as everyone tucked into the table.

"Don't be shy dear, come sit here beside George", Molly said. "Arthur, this is the kids' new friend, Ashleigh. She's the transfer student Ginny wrote us about. Ashleigh, this is my husband, Arthur", Molly introduced as Ashleigh sat down at the table.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Weasley".

"Pleasure is mine", he smiled as he sat down and shook her hand.

"This is incredible Mrs. Weasley. Do you do this all the time?" Ashleigh asked.

"Yes", every person in the room chimed. Ashleigh laughed a little.

"Well the food is just delicious", she added after taking a few bits of everything on her plate.

"Oh, thank you dear", Molly blushed. Ashleigh nodded her head and continued to eat her food silently, as everyone else had separate conversations.

"So how do you like Hogwarts so far?" George asked, startling her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you".

"It's okay. I was just thinking. I like it, it's really nice and a lot of welcoming people, except that Malfoy", she said.

"Yeah, we've always had issues with him", George told her.

"Yeah, Ginny and Hermione were telling me that before. Why is he such a prat anyway?"

"Just the family he was born into. Rich pureblood wizards who think they're better than everyone else", George told her.

"Oh", was all she said. Meanwhile across the table Ginny pointed Hermione's attention to the two of them and they couldn't help but smile. Molly noticed this and decided to corner them after dinner. "Thank you very much for dinner, it was lovely. And thanks again, for letting me spend the holiday with you", she said to Molly and Arthur.

"Oh, you're welcome dear", Molly smiled as she waved her wand to clear the table. Ashleigh left to use the washroom so Molly pulled Hermione and Ginny into the small laundry room. "So, what were the smiles for at dinner?" She asked sternly. They looked at each other.

"Ashleigh and George kinda like each other and have this flirty thing going on at school. But both of them are too scared to make the first move", Ginny spilled. Molly smiled at this.

"Maybe he'll calm down a bit if he's in a relationship", she said. "And I really like Ashleigh. She seems wonderful".

"She is mum", Ginny told her.

"We've told Ashleigh that he likes her, but she doesn't think so. She's never had any guys like her before, so she's skeptical to believe it", Hermione explained.

"Why on earth not?" Molly asked.

"She says it because of the way she looks and her body type", Ginny whispered.

"That's preposterous", Molly said. They shrugged and asked her not to say anything about it to Ashleigh. Molly agreed.


	5. Chistmas at The Burrow

It was Christmas Eve and The Burrow was buzzing with chatter. The kids were all allowed to open one gift that night before bed and Mrs. Weasley made them open her gifts. Everyone, except Ashleigh, already knew what they were. They all opened them and then Mrs. Weasley handed a package to Ashleigh.

"Mrs. Weasley, you didn't have to. I wasn't expecting anything. You only just met me", Ashleigh said.

"Nonsense. As soon as Ginny owled me that you were coming, I made this straight away", Molly told her. She opened it to find a hand knit sweater of a deep red color with the letter 'A' on the front in gold. "I make one every year for the others. I made yours red and gold because it's your first year in Gryffindor. I did the same with all of my kids", Molly explained.

"I love it, thank you. I've never gotten a handmade gift before", Ashleigh said.

"Well, magic made", Fred laughed.

"Doesn't matter, still not store bought", Ashleigh said back.

"She has a point Fred", Hermione laughed.

"Whatever", Fred said and everyone laughed at him because he couldn't handle being corrected.

"Come on Fred. We're just joking with you", George said, nudging him.

"I know", Fred smirked and pulled a bottle of wacky string out. "Gotta love muggle joke shops", he laughed as he sprayed everyone.

"Where did you get the money to go to a muggle joke shop?" Molly asked.

"I borrowed some from Hermione", Fred said. She looked at Hermione who smiled and nodded, Molly look relieved. "Which actually brings me to another point", Fred said, after his bottle of wacky string was gone and he was done chasing the boys. Everyone came back to the living room. Hermione stood up. "Hermione and I are… Kinda going out now", Fred said, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Ashleigh and Ginny were shocked Hermione had kept it a secret from them. She didn't usually keep things from Ginny since they'd become friends. And she didn't seem to hold anything back from Ashleigh either.

"About time", Ginny smiled. Fred looked at her, with his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Oh come off it, we all knew you liked each other with all the little glances and blushes, every time you guys touched. It was inevitable", Ginny smirked. Ron on the other hand, got up and stormed out of the room.

"I knew this would happen", Hermione sighed.

"He's just being a jealous baby. He'll come round", George said.

"Yes, he will. Good for you guys", Molly smiled. "How long?"

"Almost two months now. It was Halloween actually", Fred said.

"I can't believe you guys hid it for so long", Ginny laughed.

"Well we did. And I'm proud of how long we actually kept it a secret. I didn't even tell George", Fred told them. Everyone was surprised by this. "Anyway, I'm beat, I'm gonna go up to bed", he added, leaving the living room.

"Yes, you all should be heading up to bed now. So go on. We'll see you lot in the morning", Molly said, ushering them upstairs.

Ashleigh and Ginny saw Fed and Hermione kiss before turning around and walking into their respective rooms. They made fun of Hermione a bit before going to sleep.

The next morning, the house was full; there were more people than the day before. They went downstairs and Molly introduced Ashleigh to everyone.

"These are my three eldest sons, Charlie, Bill and Percy", Molly said. Ashleigh shook their hands and they all settled down for breakfast. Ashleigh was surprised to have a buffet for every meal, every day. She had never experienced any home like this.

They all opened gifts after breakfast and Ashleigh was surprised to learn she had gotten presents. She didn't expect it because she was their newest friend and had only known them for four months. The twins had gotten her some sweets from a shop called Honeydukes, Hermione had gotten her a new book and Harry and Ron had gotten her some joke stuff from a place called Zonko's Joke Shop.

Ashleigh hadn't been able to get them much, because she didn't have any money and hadn't been able to shop anyway. So she gave Hermione and Ginny a necklace each, with matching earrings, she had a few so she could part with two sets. She gave the twins a few muggle joke things like whoopee cushions, the glasses with the funny nose attached and mini horns. All were items she had with her stuff at her aunts, so she had her mail them to her. As for Harry and Ron, she gave them some sweets she had gotten her aunt to send. Everyone got Hermione books, the boys mostly got sweets and joke items and Ginny got Jewelry.

Molly had prepared an even bigger feast than she had all week for Christmas dinner. Ashleigh was in awe, that one woman could cook so much on her own.

"This is incredible", she said as she sat down. They all ate and had their own conversations. Molly always seemed to put Ashleigh beside George. Hermione and Ginny figured it was because of what they had told her and Molly wanted to push them in the right direction. After dinner, everyone bundled up and went outside to have a snowman building contest. The team captains were Fred and George and they could pick their teams. Fred picked Hermione, Harry, Percy and Bill. George picked Ashleigh, Ron, Ginny and Charlie. They all built there snowman and in the end, George's team won. It was judged by Molly and Arthur.

After that they all went in for some hot cocoa before heading upstairs. Again, Ginny and Ashleigh saw Fred and Hermione kiss and Ginny couldn't help but wolf whistle at them. They jumped apart and both went red.

"Sorry, I had to do it", Ginny smirked walking into her room. Ashleigh and Ginny were laughing hysterically when Hermione entered the room.

"Oh, shut it", Hermione said blushing and got ready for bed.

Over in Fred and George's room they got ready for bed and decided to have a brother talk, which they used to do all the time, but hadn't for a while.

"So how did you and Hermione start?" George asked.

"Well apparently everyone knew before we did that we liked each other. But on Halloween, after that incident with Malfoy, Hermione was so upset that she couldn't do anything to help Ashleigh realize he was completely wrong. So I followed her out of the common room to see if she wanted some company. So I comforted her and then all of a sudden she asked me if I liked her", Fred explained.

"Ohhh".

"Yeah. So I said well, yeah of course I do. But she asked me as more than a friend. And I guess that's when I really thought about it and realized that I really did like her as more than a friend. But then she got worried about Ron never speaking to her again, so when we decided to go out, we decided to keep it secret for a while", Fred finished.

"Wonderful story", George said, laying down.

"Yeah. But what's going on with you and Ashleigh? You two seem to be getting on really well", Fred asked.

"We are. I like her. Like, _really_ like her. She's beautiful, which is why that day with Malfoy made me so angry that I stunned him. Her eyes are gorgeous. And I don't know if I'm the only one who's noticed, but when she smiles a big smile, she has a dimple… I love her smile Fred", George said.

"Bro, I think you've got it bad for her", Fred commented.

"I think you're right. It's like you see in those muggle movies dad's showed us. When someone sees someone and they just know that it's meant to be. That's how I feel. I've never thoroughly thought about it before and when I do, I have never felt this way about anyone before", George explained.

"Well I think you should do something about it", Fred told him.

"I would, but I don't know if she feels the same".

"Oh, I think she does Georgie", Fred smirked.

"How do you know?"

"I've had Ginny and Hermione gather intelligence for me. She thinks the exact same thing you do, that you don't like her like that. But anyone who looks at you when you're in the same room as her, knows that you do have feelings for her", Fred told him.

"What should I do Fred?" He asked.

"Something bold, but wonderful", Fred told him. George had no idea that Fred was recording him on a muggle recording device he picked up when he went to muggle London, after borrowing money from his girlfriend.

They eventually drifted off to sleep.


	6. New Year's

A week later and it was New Year's Eve, which also meant the kids only had a few more days at The Burrow.

"I have had such a wonderful time here. You have such a beautiful family", Ashleigh said to Mrs. Weasley as they cleaned the kitchen. Ashleigh insisted on helping Molly clean up, but Molly tried to tell her that it was fine.

"Oh thank you sweetheart. You're such a beautiful girl and a wonderful person", Molly told her. "Thank you for coming into our lives. I certainly hope to see more of you".

"I hope so too. I've never had many friends. Only one friend, but she wasn't the kind I could confide in with personal stuff. She couldn't keep her mouth shut. But she was the only person who would ever even look at me, let alone hang out with me. But with Ginny and Hermione, I couldn't have asked to find better friends", Ashleigh explained. She then got teary eyed.

"Oh, dear, don't cry. What's wrong?" Molly asked, sitting her at the table.

"My parents were killed in a car accident in the summer so that's why I moved from Canada to England. To live with my aunt Tracie and her son. I miss them so much, but if it hadn't been for that accident, I wouldn't have met all of you and I'd probably still be in that dark place… Does that make me a bad person?" She asked Molly.

"No, of course it doesn't. It just means that you're slowly getting better from the event of losing your parents. When something like that happens, we don't have a choice, we have to move on in order to heal. If we don't move on from a traumatic event, it can be disastrous to your life and others around you", Molly told her. She nodded her head.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I really appreciate that", she said standing up.

"It's no problem dear", Molly said giving her a hug, Ashleigh hugged back. "I want you to know, you can come to me if you ever need motherly advice. I know you have your aunt, but if it's something you can't bring yourself to talk to her about, I'm here for you", Molly told her.

"Thank you", she said and hugged Molly again.

That night progressed and soon it was one minute to midnight and they were going to ring in the new year of 1995. Thy all gathered outside and had fireworks set up that Bill and Charlie were gonna set off.

"10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Happy New Year!" They all shouted and the fireworks started going off. Arthur kissed Molly and Fred kissed Hermione. Ashleigh stood there and couldn't wait to have her first relationship so that she could receive a kiss on the stroke of midnight as the New Year started. She was looking up to the sky and watching the fireworks when someone stepped behind her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around and it was George.

"Happy New year", he smiled and pulled her in, kissing her. She stood frozen for a second, but then kissed him back as she heard cheers from all around them.

"Now that's what I call a happy new year", Ginny smiled.

It was like fireworks were set off in both of their heads when their lips touched and electricity went through their bodies. The kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity but was only a minute or so.

"Happy new year", Ashleigh was finally able to say back to George after the kiss broke. They were just looking into each other's eyes when Fred came over and clapped George on the shoulder.

"About time mate", he smiled. They all finished watching the fireworks and then went into the house. They sat around in the living room talking for a while and George sat beside Ashleigh on the sofa, not caring if they made fun of him for being cheesy, after all, he did just kiss her in front of his entire family.

"So does this mean you're like, a thing now?" Ginny asked.

"I guess it does", George smiled. "If you want it to mean that", he said to Ashleigh.

"I'd love that", she smiled. Everyone slowly made their way to bed until it was just Ashleigh, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George. "I think I'm gonna turn in, it's been a long day", Ashleigh said.

"Us too", both girls said.

Ashleigh got up and was heading for the stairs. "Wait", George said. She turned around and he grabbed her hand and pulled her into another kiss.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Hermione whispered to Fred.

"Yes, it is", Fred said and then kissed Hermione.

"I think I've seen my brothers kiss people enough for my life in just two weeks", Ginny said, heading for the stairs.

"Get used to it Gin", both Fred and George yelled after her. The girls said goodnight to the twins and went upstairs. Ashleigh couldn't take the smile off her face and she knew she was gonna be grilled once in bed. The girls all got their pyjamas on and crawled into bed.

"So how was your first kiss?" Hermione asked, overly excited for her friend.

"Amazing. I never expected it to be like that. It was like fireworks went off inside my head", she told the girls.

"And it happened on one of the most romantic nights. Everyone kisses at midnight. And it was your first to top it off", Ginny said.

"Yeah. That made it even more special. I really didn't think George liked me, despite what you guys kept saying", Ashleigh admitted.

"Well we have something for you to hear. Fred recorded George saying this last week and gave it to us", Hermione said pressing play on the recorder.

" _Yeah. But what's going on with you and Ashleigh? You two seem to be getting on really well"._

" _We are. I like her. Like,_ really _like her. She's beautiful, which is why that day with Malfoy made me so angry that I stunned him. Her eyes are gorgeous. And I don't know if I'm the only one who's noticed, but when she smiles a big smile, she has a dimple... I love her smile Fred"._

Ashley started to tear up. She never heard someone talk about her like that. She continued listening.

" _Bro, I think you've got it bad for her"._

" _I think you're right. It's like you see in those muggle movies dad's showed us. When someone sees someone and they just know that it's meant to be. That's how I feel. I've never thoroughly thought about it before and when I do, I have never felt this way about anyone before"._

Hermione stopped the recording. Ashleigh had silent tears running down her face.

"That's beautiful. I never knew my brother had a side like that to him", Ginny said, sitting beside Ashleigh on her cot. Hermione joined them and they both hugged her.

"George, I have something to tell you", Fred said as they laid down in their pyjamas.

"What did you do?" George knew from the tone of voice.

"Remember last week when we had that brotherly heart to heart?" George nodded. "Well I secretly recorded it on a muggle recording device. And I gave it to Hermione tonight, to play it for Ashleigh", Fred said and then hid under his blanket.

"You did what?" George asked, stunned.

"Is it such a bad thing that she knows exactly how you feel?" Just then there was a knock on the door. George got up to answer it. He was shirtless and was only wearing his pyjama pants. When he answered the door, it was Ashleigh. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around George's neck and kissed him passionately. "I guess not", Fred laughed.

"I'm not done with you Fred", George scolded. "You two either", he looked at Ginny and Hermione, standing across the hall in Ginny's doorway. The two girls had the biggest smiles on their faces.

"Goodnight", Ashleigh said and left.

"Night", George said and shut his door.

"See? I knew it would be a good thing" Fred smiled. George turned around and pounced on top of him and started hitting him with a pillow.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Fred shrieked after a few minutes. George got off of him and sat on his own bed. "Jeez, did you see how she looked at you and kissed you after hearing that recording?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't be slightly upset that you did that behind my back", George told him.

"Okay, I'm sorry. But how was that first kiss?"

"Incredible. It was like fireworks went off in my head", George told him.

"Well I'm glad you finally did it. I said you needed to do something bold and wonderful. And that was definitely both", Fred laughed. George nodded. They both decided to turn in as it was getting late.


	7. The Hogwarts Express

The students were heading back to Hogwarts now for the resume of the school year. Everyone enjoyed having time off, but they knew that they had to buckle down and work hard, since exams were in a few months. Ashleigh sat with Hermione and Ginny on the train ride back.

"Excited to get back to school and loads of homework?" Ginny asked.

"Yes", Hermione said, causing the two to laugh.

"Better than having nothing to do", Ashleigh said. They nodded in agreement.

"So how are you liking your new found relationship?" Ginny asked Ashleigh, who stayed quiet and looking out of the window.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno, ask him", Ashleigh mumbled.

"Do I have to hex him?" Ginny asked. Ashleigh shook her head. "If you don't wanna talk to us about it, that's fine. But don't be afraid to talk to him about things, that's part of a good relationship".

"I know. I'm working on opening up. You two are the first I've ever opened up to about things. And a little bit to your mom Ginny", Ashleigh told them. They nodded in understanding. Ashley just stared out the window, thinking back to New Years. That was the only night they kissed, he also didn't talk to her much since that night. She thought maybe George was playing with her feelings and was dared to do it or something. Hermione noticed the look on her face.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Just thinking. I dunno if it was real", she admitted.

"If what was real?" Ginny asked.

"His feelings", she whispered, looking down.

"What on earth makes you think that?" Hermione asked.

"Well after that night, he never really came near me or spoke to me for the last three days we were there. Let alone kiss me again", she told them. "You never noticed?" They both shook their heads.

"Maybe he was just embarrassed about the way he did it in front of everyone", Hermione said.

"I dunno. It seems that maybe he was dared by Fred or something", Ashleigh told them.

"I know they're pranksters, but I don't think they'd go that far, as to play with an innocent girl's feelings", Ginny said.

"I'm doing it again", Ashleigh whispered, putting her head down.

"Doing what?" Hermione asked.

"Trying to find the fault in someone and making myself believe it was just a prank on me. I do it all the time", Ashley told them. They looked at each other and Hermione got up.

"I'll be back in a bit", Hermione told them and left. Hermione walked down the hall and to Fred and George's compartment. She didn't care who found out about them now that the Weasley family knew. "Fred, can I speak to you alone please?" She asked. He nodded, getting up and following her. They found a corner of privacy and she looked at him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I need to ask you something. And you have to be honest", Fred nodded. "Did you dare George to kiss Ashleigh on New Year's to prank her?"

"Why would I do that?" He said.

"Just answer me please".

"No. I would never go as far as playing with someone's feelings. And George wouldn't either. Why?"

"Because Ashleigh just told Ginny and I that that's what it feels like. Because the last three days, after that night, he hardly went near her or spoke to her, and still hasn't", Hermione told him. He looked shocked.

"I never noticed", he said.

"This is how she always feels. We didn't even notice something so simple. We're terrible friends", Hermione sighed.

"Look, I'll talk to him and find out what's going on. And we're not terrible friends. Things just slip by", Fred told her. He kissed her and went back to his compartment where Lee and George were.

"Snogging session?" George laughed.

"Not exactly. Lee can you leave us alone for a minute? I feel bad, asking you to leave, but I need to talk to George about something private and that's easier than us finding a private spot", Fred asked, feeling so guilty.

"No problem, I can go bug other people. I'll see you guys later", Lee said and got up to leave.

"Thanks", Fred said. He made sure the door was shut tight.

"What's up?" George asked.

"Did someone dare you to kiss Ashleigh that night?" Fred asked seriously.

"No, of course not. Why?"

'Because it has come to my attention that after that night, for the last three days, you hardly went near her or spoke to her, up to right now. What's wrong with you?" Fred said. George looked guiltily to the floor. "I'm waiting".

"I know what it looks like. I think I jumped into it too fast. That was totally heat of the moment", George explained.

"Yeah, well now she thinks that you were just playing with her feelings. And I don't blame her!" Fred whisper shouted.

"I would never do anything like that. You know I wouldn't", George said. He was surprised by what Fred had told him and knew he had to fix it.

"I know, but I still don't blame her for feeling like that. For all you know, that could've been her first kiss and you took it from her without the intention of being with her", Fred told him.

"I know. I'm gonna go talk to her", George said, and left.

"Where were you?" Ginny asked.

"I went to talk to Fred. Is that a problem?" Hermione asked jokingly.

"Not at all", Ginny said. They looked at Ashleigh who had gotten her muggle Discman out and was listening to her muggle music.

"Fred said he didn't dare George and that neither of them would go that far. I just feel terrible that we didn't notice and talk to her about it". Hermione said.

"Me too. Especially since she has depression, who knows what she might do", Ginny whispered as George opened the compartment door.

"Can you two go bug Fred for a bit? I need to talk to Ashleigh", George asked. They were more than happy to oblige, if it meant getting this straightened out. Ashleigh hadn't noticed the girls leave or hear George come in as she had her music on loud and was staring out the window. George sat down across from her. She still didn't notice he was there, or if she did, she was ignoring him. He tapped her knee, making her jump a bit.

"What're you doing here?" She asked quietly, taking her headphones out.

"Same as you, going back to school", he joked. She just kept looking out the window. "Please look at me". It took her a few minutes before she finally looked at him. "Look, I know what you think. But I want you to know that I would never play with anyone's feelings like that, but especially yours. I know I haven't really come near you or spoken to you since that night, but it's not because of you".

"It's not you, it's me? Really?" She said.

"I know it sounds corny and over-rated. But what I meant is that… I think I jumped into it so fast, that it frightened me of how kissing you made me feel. I've never had these feelings before, so I got scared", he told her. "And I've never opened up like this with anyone but Fred, so your silence is frightening", he told her after she didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"I don't know what you want me to say", she finally said.

"I don't want you to say anything", he said moving over beside her. "I want you to kiss me back", he said, closing the distance between them. After a few seconds, she kissed him back. "Thank you', he mumbled. "And I'm sorry", he added, pulling away from her.

They heard a couple low screams from the hall and George turned around to see Ginny and Hermione there. He shook his head and laughed. Some people got up to see what the scream they heard was, but was told it was nothing and to mind their own business.


	8. Term Resumes

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. The passengers however, did start to talk about both Weasley twins being off the market now, after a few girls in their year walked by the compartment and saw Fred and George with their arm around some girls' shoulders. They decided to start rumors about Hermione and Ashleigh.

"Just ignore anything you hear about, coming from them", Ginny told them as they ate. "They're just jealous", she added. Hermione and Ashleigh nodded, as they tucked into their dessert.

They all left the Great Hall and went up to the common room. They sat around talking on the sofa when the boys came in later.

"Wow, girls are crazy", Fred said, George agreeing. Harry and Ron were laughing hysterically as the girls gave them looks. "Well, not you three. The rest are", Fred added.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"I guess girls are upset that we're taken and they keep trying to hit on us. In groups", George told them.

"Yeah, we came up behind them and they were trying to walk to the common room but three girls latched themselves onto Fred and four were latched onto George as they were trying to walk. It was quite a sight", Harry laughed. The girls raised their eyebrows.

"Don't worry, I only have eyes for one", Fred said.

"Me too", George agreed and they started walking away.

"You were talking about us, right?" Hermione asked. They stopped, looked at them slowly and then smiled. "Asses", Hermione said turning around again.

"Language Hermione", Fred said as they walked upstairs.

There was a group of girls in the corner, talking and laughing. One of them pointed at Ashleigh and said something. They didn't know Ashleigh heard them, but she got up and walked calmly to her dorm. Hermione and Ginny following.

"Are you okay?" they asked.

"Those girls in the corner were sitting there, making fun of me. I thought it was only Malfoy I had to be concerned about", she said, sitting on her bed.

"What did they say?" Ginny asked.

"They said I'm fat, ugly and don't deserve to be with someone as good looking as a Weasley twin. Especially since I'm a fourth year and new to the school", Ashleigh told them.

"Don't listen to them. You're not fat or ugly and you sure as hell deserve to be with George more than those big headed bimbo's do", Hermione told her. Ginny nodded. They knew Ashleigh was upset and would probably cry if they weren't in there. But they weren't gonna leave her alone.

"Thanks guys. You are the best friends I ever could've asked for", Ashleigh said, hugging them.

'You're welcome. We're always here for you. But don't let them ruin your excitement of being in a relationship for the first time. George likes you, for you", Hermione told her. Ashleigh nodded and got up to get her pyjamas on.

"I'm gonna go. I'll see you girls tomorrow", Ginny smiled, giving both of them hugs and leaving.

The next morning, Ashleigh was greeted by the smiling face of her new and first boyfriend in the common room.

"Care to join me for breakfast?" He smiled holding out his hand.

"Of course", Ashleigh smiled. She took his hand and he led her out of the portrait and down to the Great Hall. They found all the others sitting there already so they sat down with them and helped themselves to breakfast. The amount of girls, who were jealous both Fred and George were now in relationships, shocked Ashleigh. She had no idea they were so well liked.

"I have never see so many jealous people", Ashleigh told Hermione on their way to class.

"Me either. But I should've expected it. Fred and George are really popular and well-liked by the ladies around here", Hermione told her. Ashleigh nodded as they got to class.

The next month went by and Ashleigh was finally happy in her own skin. George told her every day that she was beautiful and she had never heard it so much before. She appreciated having him in her life. They still hadn't kissed since the train but they decided they were taking it slow. New Year's was just heat of the moment as was the train. Ashleigh was perfectly fine with that. She was just happy that he was spending time with her.

"So, did you get that permission form back from your aunt for Hogsmeade?" George asked as they walked back to the common room hand-in-hand.

"Yeah, it came with today's mail. I handed it in to Professor McGonagall already", she told him.

"So, will you accompany me to The Three Broomsticks as our first official date this Saturday, since it's Valentine's Day?" He asked.

"The Three Broomsticks?" She asked.

"It's the best pub in Hogsmeade. We go there every time we're in Hogsmeade. But I'd like it if it could just be the two of us or maybe Fred and Hermione will join us, as a double date", George told her.

"I'd love that", she smiled.

They went back the common room and asked Fred and Hermione if they'd like to double date with them and they agreed. So on the coming Saturday, Ashleigh would see Hogsmeade for the first time.


	9. Valentine's Day

The weekend came quickly and Ashleigh was excited to have her first official date with George. She and Hermione were helping each other pick outfits and asked Ginny to help them as well.

"I love that", Ginny smiled as Ashleigh stepped out in a deep blue knee length dress. It was simple and was off the shoulders; luckily she had a strapless bra to wear. It had a thick black stripe around the middle right underneath the breast line.

"It really brings out your eyes", Hermione gushed.

"That's what my mom said when she saw me in it which is why she bought it for me. She bought it for me at the beginning of the summer, because she was hoping I would finally have my first date with one of her friends sons, but he wasn't interested when his mom asked him about it", Ashleigh explained.

"Well it was his loss", Ginny said. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys. So should I wear it then?" They both nodded furiously. "Okay. I have a pair of black flats I bought to wear with it. I've never worn either. I'm not even sure why I packed both, but I'm glad I did", Ashleigh smiled rummaging through her trunk for her shoes. After she put her flats on, she put a small amount of black eyeliner on and she was ready.

Hermione put on a red dress that was shorter than Ashleigh's but not too short. It was simple, like Ashleigh's, but sleeveless.

"That looks amazing", Ashleigh said, a little jealous of Hermione's thin figure. Hermione put on a black pair of heels and some eyeliner. It was February so it was chilly, but most of the snow had gone already, most people were surprised by this. They grabbed their coats and went down to the common room, where Fred and George were already there, waiting. They were stunned at how beautiful their girlfriends were.

"Wow. You look amazing", Fred said, kissing Hermione.

"Beautiful", was all George could say as Ashleigh hugged him.

"Thank you", both girls smiled as they grabbed the boys' hands and walked out of the common room.

Ron stopped them on their way downstairs. "Can I talk to you guys?" He asked Fred and Hermione.

"Took you long enough", Fred said as George and Ashleigh walked on ahead.

"I'm sorry. I know I've been a git. But I miss you guys and I'm over it, I truly am", Ron said. He hadn't spoken to them since the night they announced that they were dating. He avoided them at all costs. "I'll just leave you guys with that. You look beautiful Hermione", Ron smiled and walked away. They caught up with George and Ashleigh and filled them in as they left the castle and headed down to Hogsmeade village, more specifically, The Three Broomsticks pub. It was mid-afternoon, so they were going to have an early dinner, after grabbing a drink.

"This village is so cute", Ashleigh smiled as they walked and reached the pub. "I've never seen anything like it. We didn't really have much of a magic community back home. At least not that I knew of. There was the school, but it was close to the mountains, way out of site to muggles", Ashleigh explained.

"That must've been difficult", Fred said.

"Not really, when that's all I knew. But comparing it to this, yes", Ashleigh laughed. They got a table, the girls sat beside each other. The boys went to get them all drinks and sat across from them when they got back. "I'm really enjoying being here. I feel bad about it sometimes. Knowing that the only reason I'm here is because my parents died", Ashleigh said. She then realized she never told the twins about that, so they looked at her with wide eyes.

"What happened?" George asked, holding her hand on the table.

"They were driving home from the movies one night and a big transport truck ran a stop light, crashing into them. They died later in hospital", she explained.

"How come you never told us, or at least me?" George asked.

"I told Hermione, Ginny and your mom. I guess I didn't want to feed you my sad story and bring you down with me", she told them.

"You can always tell me anything", George said, looking directly in her eyes. She nodded. They finished there drinks and then went to the small restaurant down the street. It was decorated in all things red, white & pink for Valentine's Day.

"Happy Valentine's Day", the twins both said as they were led to their seats.

"Happy Valentine's Day", the girls smiled and said in unison.

They ordered their favorites off the menu and it took about 15 minutes for them all to get their food. They all ate in silence, no one wanting to accidentally talk with their mouth open and spit food everywhere. But it was a comfortable silence.

"That was so good", Ashleigh commented. The other three nodding.

"Do you ladies want dessert?" Fred asked.

"No, thank-you. I'm so full, I could burst", Ashleigh laughed. Hermione agreed with her but of course, the boys had to get dessert. "You Weasley's can certainly eat", Ashleigh said, which caused Hermione to laugh almost hysterically.

"Yes, they can. Glad you noticed. Ron is just as bad", Hermione laughed.

"We like food", George said in their defence.

"Must be nice to be able to eat as much as you want without gaining a pound", Ashleigh mindlessly said. She realized she said that out loud and apologized when the other's looked at her.

"There is nothing wrong with you", Hermione said sternly, knowing what Ashleigh was thinking. George was slightly confused but figured it was a girl-talk topic and didn't bring it up. The boys finished their dessert and they all decided to go for a little walk to show Ashleigh the rest of the village before heading back to the castle. The couples walked hand-in-hand down the street, showing Ashleigh all the shops. The sun was starting to set, so they figured they should head back up. On the walk, it had started to snow so George stopped walking, causing Ashleigh to stop, since she was holding his hand.

"What?" Ashleigh asked, as George was looking at the sky. Her speaking caused Hermione and Fred to stop and turn around. George pulled Ashleigh closer to him.

"Happy Valentine's Day", He smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day", she smiled back. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned down and kissed her. This lasted for a minute before she pulled away.

"Too soon?" He asked. She thought for a minute.

"No", she smiled and kissed him again, with more passion than ever before. They broke apart and turned around to continue walking and realized that Fred and Hermione were standing there watching.

"So beautiful", Hermione smiled as they all continued their walk.

Little did they know, a sixth year girl from Gryffindor was hiding behind one of the buildings watching the whole scene.


	10. Jealousy

It had been a couple weeks since Valentine's Day and now every time George greeted Ashleigh in the morning, he would kiss her. The sixth year who saw the event on Valentine's Day would see it every morning, as she was in the common room. She was extremely jealous, as she had always fancied George, since she met him in first year.

After breakfast, Ashleigh had to go back to the common room to grab something before class. She was walking by herself, and saw someone standing in a corner, reading a book. After she passed that person, she felt a sharp pain in her back. She didn't know who it was or what the person did to her, but she fell to the ground, finding it hard to breathe. She heard footsteps getting further and further away before everything went black.

She could hear voices, but she couldn't see. She assumed she was dead, but then she heard her friends talking to her.

"You have to be okay", she heard Hermione.

"She will be. You'll see", that was George. She tried so hard to open her eyes or move her fingers, but nothing would work. Then she couldn't hear anything. She saw a bright white light in front of her and two faces.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked. "Am I dead?"

"No sweetheart. You are dying though. We miss you, but we don't want you to join us yet. It can't be your time", her mom said.

"We love you baby girl. Please fight. You see us now, because your heart has stopped. Fight honey, your new friends need you. We are so proud of you", her dad said.

"We have been watching over you. We're glad you finally met my wonderful sister and her family. Never feel bad or upset that us dying is the reason you have friends and a handsome, wonderful boyfriend now. That is all we ever wanted for you. To be happy and enjoy life", her mother was crying.

"Why can't I just stay with you?" She asked.

"Because you need to be on Earth where everyone else needs you, more than we do. We love you more than anything, now go on. We will always be with you", her dad said and they faded away. She could hear a beeping noise, but she still couldn't move or open her eyes.

"She's back with us", someone said, she wasn't sure who.

"Thank Merlin", she heard George say. It sounded like he was crying. She wished more than ever, that she could let him know she was okay.

"How is she?" She heard a frantic woman come in. She thought it sounded like her aunt.

"Are you Tracie Scott?" A woman asked.

"Yes. This is my niece. I am her legal guardian".

"Well it seems Miss Scott was attacked at school. She was stabbed in the back with a rather large knife. It punctured her lung, which is why she had to be transported here instead of being taken care of at Hogwarts. It also appeared that the knife had been dipped in something, but we couldn't find out what. We originally thought poison, but that would've killed her by now. We ran tests on the remnants of whatever it was, but it all came back inconclusive", she guessed it was a Healer talking.

"Oh my goodness", she heard her aunt start to cry. Ashleigh thought it was weird that George and Hermione were with her if she wasn't in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

"Miss Scott?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Hermione, right?"

"Yes. I just wanted to let you know that we're here for you. I'd rather be here with Ashleigh than at school", Hermione told her.

"Thank you Hermione. And you are?" She asked.

"George. One of the twins you met at Christmas", he told her.

"Right. I knew that, just wasn't sure which one", she smiled weakly.

"Please sit down Miss Scott", Hermione told her. She obliged and sat down.

"So what are you guys doing here? They let you out of school?" Tracie asked.

"Yes. Ashleigh is one of my very best friends and I refused to stay. So our Headmaster allowed me to come. He allowed George as well", Hermione explained. Tracie looked at George.

"Ashleigh and I have been dating since New Year's", he told her. Her face lit up a bit.

"That's good. She never had many friends, only one. And never had a boyfriend. I think coming here was a good thing for her, until now", Tracie said.

 _No!_ Ashleigh shouted in her head. She hadn't yet told George that she'd never had a boyfriend before.

"I didn't know that", George said, looking at Hermione.

"She was waiting to confide in you. She wanted to make sure it would be worth it. That it would be a long term thing between you two", Hermione explained. George nodded his head.

"I'm sorry. I can't keep my mouth shut when I'm worried or stressed", Tracie apologized.

"That's alright", George told her. He sat down holding Ashleigh's hand and Tracie went to the other side to hold her other hand. "I just want you to know that Ashleigh is very important to me. I've had girlfriends before, but never one I've cared so much about", he told Tracie. She nodded.

Three days passed and there was no change in Ashleigh's condition. Dumbledore allowed Hermione and George to stay with her for the first day, but they had to go back and couldn't come back to visit until the weekend. Now that the weekend was here, they went back, this time Fred and Ginny came with.

"Mum?" The Weasley's asked as they walked into the room.

"Hi kids", she said.

"What're you doing here?" Fred asked.

"Well she is a very good friend of all of yours and I wanted to visit her. Is that a crime?" She asked.

"No. I just meant that we thought you were busy at home. I'm sorry", Fred said, hugging his mum.

"Where's Miss Scott?" Hermione asked.

"I told her to go home to shower and change. I told her I'd let her know if there was any change", Molly told them. They nodded and sat down. "Do you guys have any idea who might've done this?"

"Aside from Malfoy, maybe one of the jealous girls", Ginny said.

"What do you mean?" Molly asked.

"Well there are quite a few girls at school who are jealous that she's with George and Hermione is with Fred. Apparently they're quite the studs", Ginny informed her mother. Both twins smacked her on the back of the head. "Ow! Jerks".

"I don't see that cause for someone to do this. Unless they're unstable", Molly said. George sat down and put his face in his hands.

"It's my fault", he said. For the first time ever, Ginny seen her brother cry. "It's all my fault", he said again. "I should've gone with her. Or just left her alone and kept my distance", George said.

"It is not your fault George. You didn't go and tell someone to do this. They did this all on their own accord", Molly told him, grabbing him in a tight hug. She couldn't remember a time she had seen George cry, except when he was young.

"I have never seen my brother like this. He must like her a lot more than any of us thought", Ginny whispered to Hermione.


	11. It's Like Snow White

Another month passed, bringing it to mid-April, but Ashleigh still hadn't woken up. The doctors were starting to lose hope that she would. The kids were able to visit every weekend, and brought homework with to stay caught up. No one knew how long she wasn't breathing before she was found, so they didn't know if her brain was damaged. Even with magic, it's not certain. The only way to know for sure is if she wakes up. George just sat beside her and stared off whenever they visited.

The doctors kept telling everyone to talk to her, so she knows they're there. That's all they did. Hermione would read to her, Fred would tell her jokes, and the others would just talk about their lives, how everything is going for them. George was the only one yet to talk to her.

"George, you should talk to her. It might help, both of you", Hermione told him, rubbing his shoulder. "Everyone, let's clear out and let George have some time with Ashleigh", Hermione said. It was only the Weasley's and Harry there that day as Tracie had to go back to work, they wouldn't allow her any more time off. Everyone got up to leave, patting George on the shoulder before walking out the door. George sat there for a bit, just staring at her. He finally decided to talk to her.

"Ashleigh, it's me, George. I dunno if you can hear me, but I hope you can", he said grabbing her hand. "I've been here every weekend, but I never knew what I could say to help. Now I think maybe you just need to know that I'm here, we're all here for you. We need you to come back to us. If you see a bright light, don't go to it, go the opposite direction and find your way back to us… To me", he let a few tears fall.

 _I'm here George, I can hear you_ , Ashley thought. She continued to try to move her fingers or open her eyes, but to no avail.

"I miss you, our silly conversations and debates. I miss those big beautiful blue eyes and your smile. I feel like a part of me is missing. And it's scary to feel like that. Especially since we've only been together for three and a half months. But when I think about it, we've known each other for seven. I just want more time with you. I want to know so much more about you, because I'm sure you haven't told me everything yet", he finished and just sat there, holding her hand.

He looked at her and noticed below her eyes was wet. He wiped it with a Kleenex, but moments later there was more moisture. He wiped her face again, but the same thing kept happening.

"You're crying", he said as he let tears fall, knowing she was still there and she heard him. He kissed the back of her hand as the others came back in. "She's gonna be okay", he told them. They all looked at him questioningly. "She's crying. I noticed after I finished what I had to say. Under her eyes is wet but when I wiped it, more water appeared. At first I thought it was sweat, but I don't think it is", he explained. As he finished explaining he saw a full-fledged tear drop fall down the side of her face. "Look", he said. They all saw it. Molly got a doctor.

"Well it's good to know that she can hear you guys. And if she's crying, that means she must understand what you're saying, if it was something that would make her cry in the first place".

"It probably was", George said.

"That means that her brain is functioning. So this gives us some good news. Hopefully she'll be able to open her eyes soon", he said and left.

"What did you say?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, that's private", Molly scolded her daughter. George just continued holding Ashleigh's hand and kissed her forehead. They all stayed for a few more hours, before the kids all had to go back to school. George leaned over to give Ashley a proper kiss on the lips as the others left. He could've sworn he felt her lips move. He opened his eyes and saw that she was looking at him.

"There's those big beautiful blue eyes", he smiled and kissed her again, the tears coming. "I have to get the doctor", he told her and left. His family saw him run out of the room and they chased him. "She's awake", he said to the doctor as he reached him. The doctor followed him back to the room, as did all the others.

"Ashleigh, can you hear me?" The doctor asked. "I need you to open your eyes again for me", he urged. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and everyone gasped, relieved. "Amazing", he said. He ran some tests with his wand and said he would have to do others the next day. "What were you doing the moment she woke up?" He asked.

"Uh… I kissed her", George said sheepishly.

"It's like Snow White", Hermione smiled, tears falling down her cheeks. Everyone looked at her. "It's a muggle fairy tale, where a princess is put under a sleeping curse and only true loves kiss will awaken her", Hermione explained. Everyone looked at the doctor.

"We tested for any sleeping potions. But I am not aware of any that only true loves kiss will wake you. I think we have a very smart student who created something very powerful, if that's the case", the doctor explained. "Now that you're awake, I'm sure you don't want to sleep. But you do need to stay in bed and rest. And as I understand it, these guys have to go back to school".

"Yes, you do", Molly said. "I will stay here with Ashleigh for the night", she assured the kids. They all finally gave in and left the hospital.

"Bye", they all said to Ashleigh and left.

"You gave us a right scare", Molly said, sitting in the chair beside her. She tried to talk, but couldn't because her mouth was so dry. Molly gave her some water.

"Sorry", she croaked.

"Don't apologize. It certainly isn't your fault. But I am so glad that you're awake and still with us", Molly said, squeezing her hand.

"Me too", she smiled slightly. There was a comfortable silence, where Ashleigh thought about what George had said. And then she thought about what the doctor said about the sleeping curse potion. She of course, knew about Snow White. And she knew the doctor said the knife had been dipped in something. She continued thinking about it. _Does George love me? Do I love him? It's only been three and a half months, and I've been out for a month and a half of it_ , she thought. Molly broke her train of thought.

"Do you love George?" She asked. Ashleigh figured she was thinking almost the same thoughts she herself was.

"That's what I was thinking about. About what Hermione and the doctor said. But… I think I might", she admitted. "I know we haven't been together long and I was out for a lot of it, but we've known each other longer than the amount of time we've been a couple. It's one of those things, you just know", she explained.

"I know. It was the same with Arthur and I. We weren't together for long, maybe four months, and I knew he was who I wanted to spend my life and have a family with", Molly told her.

"And a wonderful family you have", Ashleigh smiled.

"Thank you. Your parents did a wonderful job with you too my dear", Molly smiled. They continued talking for a while longer before Ashleigh fell asleep. Molly covered her up with the blankets and sat in the chair. She eventually fell asleep as well.


	12. Confrontation

It was now the end of May and Ashleigh was able to leave the hospital. Ever since she woke up, Hermione had brought her all the assignments she had missed and any assigned after she woke up. She had nothing else to do, so she was able to complete all of them. Hermione brought her everything she'd need to complete her essays and also helped her with some.

"Thank-you for helping me Hermione", Ashleigh smiled.

"You're welcome. Professor Dumbledore forced all the teachers to allow you to hand in your assignments whenever you can. Snape wasn't too thrilled about it. But you can't do half of his because you're here, but at least you can get the essays done', Hermione said. Hermione wheeled Ashleigh in a wheelchair out of her room and the waiting room was full of people, waiting to see her. They erupted into cheers when they saw her.

"It truly is a miracle. Even if that was a sleeping curse potion. You were lucky with the size of the wound and a punctured lung", the doctor told her.

"Thank-you. For everything", Ashleigh smiled and shook the doctor's hand. She was looking through the crowd for her boyfriend but it looked like he was the only one who wasn't there. Everyone was giving her cards and flowers and congratulating her on pulling through when someone stepped up behind her wheelchair and covered her eyes.

"Guess who", he whispered in her ear. She could tell exactly who it was. She turned her head with a smile on her face and he leaned down and kissed her. She blushed when she heard the 'awes' in the crowd. "I am so happy you're okay", he told her.

"Me too", she smiled.

"Now, we've arranged with Hogwarts to have the Hogwarts Express take you back to school. It is unwise for you to Apparate with someone or Floo. So a taxi is waiting to take you to Kings Cross. And Professor Dumbledore has given permission for your friends who are here, to go with you", the doctor explained. They all nodded. They all left and took taxis to Kings Cross station, through the barrier to the platform and boarded the train.

A few hours later they arrived at Hogwarts, where Hagrid met them. "I guess I have yet to meet ya", Hagrid said.

"Ashleigh Scott", she said and put her hand up to shake the giant's hand.

"Nice to meet ya", he smiled. "I have arranged a carriage to take ya up to the school", he told them.

"Thanks Hagrid", Harry said.

"Yer welcome. Now come on, it's gettin' late", Hagrid ushered them to the carriage. They waved goodbye to him and the carriage took them to the school. McGonagall welcomed them at the gate and they walked the rest of the way.

"Welcome back Miss Scott", she smiled.

"Thank you. It's good to be back", she said, but then went distant when they stepped inside.

"Do not worry. We have arranged for someone to be with you all the time between classes, until we can find the culprit", McGonagall told her.

"Okay", she whispered.

"I know it's not how you want to spend the rest of the year, but it's only for a month and then you'll be gone for two months. This is an ongoing investigation and will be ongoing until we find the person responsible", McGonagall explained. "Now come on, the feast is waiting".

"I'm not hungry", Ashleigh told them.

"That's understandable. But we need you to walk into the Great Hall. We have aurors posing as students and the school doesn't know you're coming back. The culprit might show signs to give him or her away. The aurors are very good at deciphering behaviour", McGonagall told her. She nodded. They walked into the Great Hall and Dumbledore stood up.

"Can I have your attention please", he said. The hall quieted. "Can I have your help in welcoming back Miss Ashleigh Scott", he announced and started clapping. Everyone looked at her and erupted into cheers as she walked down the aisle. She was embarrassed so she kept her head down. Someone from the Gryffindor table stood up and Ashleigh saw her face. She immediately started leaving the hall and bumped into Ashleigh, almost knocking her over. Then she ran out of the hall. Everyone watched as the undercover aurors got up and chased her.

"That's the one who was always talking about me and giving me nasty looks", Ashleigh whispered to Hermione. McGonagall heard this as well.

"Well the aurors will search all of her belongings and interview her. A knife was never found. We made sure all garbage cans were checked, before being cleared", McGonagall told them. They nodded and sat down. Ashleigh didn't eat and kept her face down. She felt the same as she did when she first arrived there in September.

"You should eat something", George said, trying to get her to eat.

"I'm not hungry. I just want to go to the common room", Ashleigh said, standing up.

"I'm here to escort you if you're leaving", Professor Snape said. Everyone looked at him, surprised that he'd do such a thing.

"Yeah, I want to go up to the common room", Ashleigh told him. George got up to come but Ashleigh stopped him. "No, you eat. I'll be fine", she said as she made to walked away. He still tried to come, but she kept telling him no. "I just want to be alone for a bit please", she told him. Snape just stood there, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, fine. You win", George sighed.

"Thank you", she said and walked away. The walk upstairs was silent. Once at the portrait she thanked Professor Snape and he walked away. She went inside and it was empty. She sat down in an armchair in front of the fireplace. It wasn't long before she heard a commotion in the stairwell.

"That's not mine! I'm being framed!" Someone was yelling.

Four aurors came walking down the stairs with the sixth year girl who ran from the Great Hall. She was magically bound so she couldn't run, but they still held her arms. Ashleigh stood up and watched the scene. The girl saw her and nearly lost it.

"You were supposed to die!" She screamed. "I put the knife in the potion so you would die from your injury, because you weren't supposed to be able to heal while under the curse!" She shrieked. Ashleigh just stood there, watching her and finally found her voice.

"You tried to kill me all because the guy you like chose to be with me?" She said calmly. "Tell me, was that potion only supposed to break with true loves kiss?"

"Yes, but clearly it didn't work", she sneered.

"Oh, it did. But what you didn't count on, was George kissing me while I was unconscious. And guess what honey, that's the moment I woke up", this made the girl scream in anger.

"It did not! How could someone like him love someone like you!?"

"I'm not sure, I've been asking myself the same thing over the past couple weeks. It's people like you who make me second guess myself on what I wear in the morning, something to make me look thinner. How to do my hair or my make-up. Well guess what, this experience has taught me to love myself, because there _are_ people who actually love and care about me. But how can I love someone if I don't love myself first? Well, I think I love George Weasley so I have to love myself too", Ashleigh finally got everything off her chest. And the aurors let her. They knew Ashleigh had to confront the girl who did this.

"That's a load of bullshit. People like you _can't_ , they're _unable_ , to love themselves. And everyone else is unable to love people like you".

"And what exactly does 'people like me' mean?" Ashleigh asked.

"Look at you. The way you look, you're a whale, you have a rats nest on your head most days and you waddle like a penguin".

"I have heard all of these insults over and over in my life. And I'm sick of it. I had eating disorders because of people like you, but I got help for it. So what, I'm not a stick figure like you. But a lot people find that disgusting to, being able to see your bones like that. I see many people like that, but I don't make fun of them. Because I'm a better person than that", Ashleigh managed to say all of this calmly. Neither one of them noticed the common room filling up. Her friends at the front of the group. She didn't notice until George came over and put an arm around her waist and kissed the side of her head. "How long have you been in here?" She asked.

"Since she said you were supposed to die. So since the confrontation started", he told her. "I'm proud of you", he smiled and kissed her. This made the girl scream while the group 'awed'.

"Let's go. Carrie Brooks you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Ashleigh Scott. You will be sent to Azkaban prison to await trial", one Auror told her. The group moved away from the portrait as Carrie was led out of the common room.

"Where did that all come from?" Hermione asked, giving Ashleigh a hug.

"I dunno. But I'm glad I did it. I've never been able to stick up for myself like that. I'm still shaking", she said as she sat down.

"So proud of you babe", George said.

"Babe?" Ashleigh asked.

"Too cheesy?" He asked.

"Yes. But I like cheesy", she laughed.


	13. Summer Holiday Begins

The school was buzzing for two weeks with the news of who had hurt Ashleigh and how Ashleigh had stuck up to her before she got arrested. People seemed genuinely happy that she was alright and stuck up to the person who had stabbed her. Exams were about to start so Ashleigh and Hermione had been revising like crazy, trying to ignore the stares from people in the library.

"I think it should've been last week's news by now", Ashleigh whispered to Hermione.

"They just like a good story, with a happy ending", Hermione told her.

"I didn't think anything in my life would ever have a happy ending", Ashleigh said before going back to her revision.

"You have to stop doing that. Everyone knows George loves you, after all, that's what breaks a curse like Carrie put on you", Hermione smirked.

"I know. I'm still working on it. It'll take time. I spent almost ten years out of my almost fifteen being scrutinized and made fun of. And depressed because of it. But this is honestly the happiest I think I have ever felt", Ashleigh smiled, thinking about George.

"I know it'll take time. Just remember, George is there if you need to talk. And so are Ginny and I", Hermione reminded her.

"I know, and I appreciate it. I do. Thank you", she side hugged Hermione.

"You're welcome. Now let's go get dinner", Hermione said, packing up her books.

They walked down to the Great Hall and had dinner with their friends; no one was very talkative as exams started the next day.

First day of exams, they had Defense Against The Dark Arts with the odd Professor Moody, second day they had Potions and third day they had Transfiguration. After that, they had the weekend off and Monday they had Divination, Tuesday was Care of Magical Creatures, Wednesday they had off, Thursday was Muggle Studies and there last exam was on Friday for Charms. They were all ecstatic to be finished exams. They only had a few days left at Hogwarts before leaving for the summer.

They were all eating dinner and everyone was surprised Harry wasn't there. They hadn't seen him all day. Ron decided to go out to the Quidditch pitch to look for him. All of a sudden Harry and Ron came bursting through the door, Harry was battered and bleeding.

"I found him like this in the Quidditch changing rooms", Ron told the teachers. Harry looked terrified.

"Vol-Voldemort's back!" He yelled. Everyone heard him and there were gasps through the entire hall.

"Everyone, back to your common rooms in orderly fashion. Except you Potter and Weasley. You come with me", he told them. They were on their way back to the common room when Ashleigh saw George, talking to a girl from Slytherin. He didn't see her, but the girl did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. And from where Ashleigh stood, it looked like he was kissing her back; he put his hands on her waist. She stopped dead in her tracks. She then regained motion and just walked past them and to the common room as quickly as she could.

Ashleigh ran through the common room and up to her dorm. Ginny and Hermione had already made it up there so they saw her running. They followed her up and she was curled into a ball on her bed.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"Your ass of a brother", she said quietly through sobs.

"Which one and what did he do?" Ginny asked.

"George, he was kissing some Slytherin girl. She kissed him first, but he put his hands on her waist and kissed her back", Ashleigh told them.

"That weasel!" Ginny yelled. Hermione sat beside Ashleigh on her bed and comforted her. "I'll kill him", she seethed. She stayed upstairs helping comfort Ashleigh before she went downstairs to confront her brother. Ron was back and saw the look on his sister's face.

"What's up Gin?" He asked.

"You complete ass, George Weasley!" She screamed, hitting him. This got the attention of the few people in the common room.

"What was that for?" George asked as Fred held her from hitting him again.

"You're a liar and a cheater! Kissing some Slytherin chick!" She yelled.

"You what!?" Fred yelled at him. He let go of Ginny and let her hit him again.

"I did not", George denied.

"Another lie. Ashleigh saw you, you stupid git", Ginny seethed. His face fell.

"I didn't kiss her, she kissed me", George told his fuming sister.

"Ashleigh said she watched you put your hands on her waist and kiss her back. So stop lying to us and yourself", Ginny told him. "After everything she went through, how could you do this to her?" Ginny asked. George sat down and put his face in his hands.

"I didn't mean too. It just happened", he sighed.

"That's no excuse. She saw it, she'll never believe it just happened", Fred told him. Just then McGonagall and Harry came through the portrait.

"Everyone, please pass this on to everyone else. Tonight is your last night here. The Hogwarts express will be here in the morning to pick you all up. After what Harry has just told us, we cannot keep you here any longer, as it could be unsafe", McGonagall explained. Ginny went back upstairs after McGonagall left.

"We have to pack up. We're leaving tomorrow because of you-know-who being back. McGonagall said it might be unsafe for us to stay any longer", Ginny explained to Hermione and Ashleigh. They nodded and packed as Ginny left to do the same. Ashleigh cried herself to sleep that night and Hermione ended up falling asleep on Ashleigh's bed as well.

The next morning Ashleigh skipped breakfast, Hermione told her she would bring her something back. So Ashleigh showered and got ready to leave, she walked back into the dorm as Hermione came in with some food for her.

"Thank you", Ashleigh smiled lightly.

"You're welcome. We have to head down to the train in about half an hour", Hermione told her.

"Okay. Can you warn me if you see him at all? I have nothing to say. I just want to get home and spend two months in solitude", Ashleigh asked.

"Alright. But you have to promise to write me through the summer", Hermione bargained.

"Of course I will. My aunt has an owl at home. So it should be no problem".

They decided to head down towards the train earlier, so they could avoid George. Luckily the carriages were already waiting to take students down. They got a compartment and Ginny joined them a few minutes later. She pulled the blinds on the door so George wouldn't see that they were in there.

"You're gonna have to talk to him eventually", Hermione told Ashleigh.

"Yeah. But I'm gonna put it off as long as I can. I just wanna get home to my aunts", she sighed and looked out the window. She got out her muggle CD player again and listened to her music.

Harry came into the compartment to tell everyone what exactly happened that he came to the conclusion of Voldemort being back. He told them how he went down to the Quidditch pitch to fly for a bit but when he grabbed his broom, it transported him to a graveyard and he figured out it was a portkey. He said Wormtail was there with a tiny being that he dropped into a cauldron and put a bone of Tom Riddle's father, then hand of a servant and the blood of the enemy into the cauldron as well. Then right before his eyes, the cauldron and its contents transformed into a not-quite-human man. His eyes and nose looked like that of a snake. Voldemort had returned and tried to kill Harry, but Harry managed to get away after using accio to get the broom again.

"Wow mate, that's crazy", Ron said, eyes wide.

"Tell me about it", Harry mumbled.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful, George never found Ashleigh, so she was relieved about that. They got on the platform and she knew where to avoid, as she saw a sea of red hair.

"Be sure to write this summer", Ginny said and hugged Ashleigh goodbye.

"I will, as long as you write back", she laughed.

"Of course I will. See you in the fall", Ginny smiled.

"Goodbye Hermione. Have a good summer", Ashleigh said as Hermione hugged her.

"I will. You have a good one too. Maybe we can get together for a sleepover", Hermione smiled.

"I'd like that", Ashleigh said as she saw her aunt coming her way. "Bye", she waved and met her aunt.

"Ready to go?" Tracie asked.

"Yes. Let's hurry", Ashleigh said as she saw the Weasley's look her way. Tracie gave her a look. "I'll explain in the car".

"How come Ashleigh didn't come say goodbye to you?" Molly asked as they all arrived at The Burrow.

"Yeah George. Why don't you tell mum?" Ginny sneered at her brother. He just walked away and went to his room. Molly looked at Ginny. "Ashleigh caught him kissing a Slytherin girl yesterday". Molly's mouth fell open.

"Ginny already almost killed him", Fred said.

"I probably would have if you didn't hold me back. I don't know how he could do something like that", Ginny said, sitting down.

"I don't think you need to go that far", Ron said.

"You didn't see how heartbroken she was. It was awful to see my friend like that", Ginny told them. "And to top it off, it was my brother who made her feel like that".

"He spent the whole train ride looking for her", Fred told her.

"She didn't wanna be found, so we pulled the blinds down on the door", Ginny informed her brother.

"Fred, he talks to you. Go see if he's okay and find out why he did such a thing", Molly said. He nodded and went upstairs.


	14. Owl Mail

"George, this is my room too. Let me in", Fred said, banging on the door. He heard the lock click and walked in. "George, talk to me".

"I have nothing to say. You all have your opinions on what I did. I even hate myself for doing it. I don't even know why I did it. It was heat of the moment, she kissed me and my reaction was to kiss her back".

"Mum's gonna go mental on you. She loves Ashleigh", Fred told him.

"I know. I want to make things right, but I don't know how. I don't even know where she lives", George said.

"Well then, you'll have to wait until term starts I guess", Fred said. He nodded. There was a knock on the door and Ron poked his head in.

"Mum said dinner's ready".

"I'm not hungry", George mumbled and laid down on his bed. Fred got up and left.

"He's not doing so well. I dunno what I'm supposed to do to help him. He wants to make things right between them, but doesn't know how", Fred explained to his mum. "He said it was a heat of the moment thing, she kissed him and his reaction was to kiss her back. I dunno what the hell he was thinking", Fred shook his head.

"Oh Ashleigh, I'm so sorry", Tracie said when Ashleigh told her what happened.

"I should've seen it coming. Nothing good ever lasts for me", she sighed, walking into the house. Her cousin jumped into her arms. "Hey, I missed you", she said hugging him. Ashleigh and her little cousin Ethan had gotten very close during the month she stayed with them before going to Hogwarts. She was able to pick him up because he was quite short for the average 11 year old.

"I missed you too. Guess what", he smiled.

"What?" Ashleigh smiled back.

"I start at Hogwarts in the fall", he said excitedly. "I got my letter yesterday", he said, showing her the letter.

"That's right; you're 11 now, aren't you?" She smiled.

"Yes! How could you forget?" He said.

"I didn't. I'm just playing with you", she smiled and put him back on the floor. Ashleigh took her trunk up to her room that Tracie gave her the previous summer. It used to be Ethan's play room, but he didn't mind giving it to Ashleigh. She laid down on her king sized bed and started crying again. She held it in all day and was strong out in public. But she still hurt; she could feel her heart breaking in two. She skipped dinner and her Aunt was worried about her. She knew all about Ashleigh's history with her depression.

"Ethan, why don't you go see if Ashleigh is okay. I think she could use one of your big hugs", Tracie told him after dinner. He nodded and ran up the stairs. He knocked on the door and opened it to see his cousin crying on her bed.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, coming over and hopping up onto the bed.

"Big girl problems", she sniffed. He leaned over and wrapped his small arms around her as best as he could.

"Don't cry. It's sad seeing you cry", he said. She hugged him back.

"I know buddy. Thank you for the hug. That makes me feel a lot better", she smiled, wiping the tears away.

"You're welcome. Wanna watch a movie?" He asked. She nodded. Ethan, like Ashleigh, was brought up in the muggle world, as his dad was also a muggle. But his dad had passed away before he was born and Tracie felt like she owed it to her fiancé to bring him up in the muggle universe.

"Sure. Whatcha got?" Ashleigh asked.

"We can watch Toy Story", he giggled. She remembered her Aunt told her that he loved that movie when it first came out so she bought it for him once it was on VHS.

"Alright. Let's watch it", Ashleigh smiled. She was happy having Ethan there to distract her for a little while, until she received a letter via owl from someone. She opened it and read it.

 _Hey Ashleigh,_

 _It's Ginny. George is a terrible wreck. He refused to eat dinner tonight and he's been in his room all night long, hasn't come out once. He said it was a heat of the moment thing, when she kissed him it was his reaction to kiss her back. He says it didn't mean anything. And before you misinterpret what I'm saying, I'm not sticking up for him, I'm still quite angry with him, but people do make mistakes. I hope you're doing alright at home by yourself so far. Please write back and tell me how you are._

 _Ginny_

Ashleigh got parchment and a quill and wrote her back.

 _Hey Ginny,_

 _I'm doing okay so far. I'm not completely alone. I have my little cousin, Ethan, who's been cheering me up. He's 11 and will be starting at Hogwarts in September. I'll be okay. And George will be too. I just can't get the image out of my head._

 _Ashleigh_

She sent the letter off and then crawled into bed. Again, she cried herself to sleep.

A week passed and she decided to get up for breakfast and Tracie was happy to see her.

"I'm glad you've come out today".

"I am too. I need a shower", she laughed.

"I've never heard you laugh. I am so glad you're getting better", Tracie told her, giving her a hug.

"I'm alright for today. I have ups and downs, but I'm working on it", she told her Aunt as she sat down with a bowl of cereal.

"So what do you want for your birthday?" Tracie asked.

"I dunno. Mom and dad usually got me new clothes and stuff", Ashleigh told her. "You really don't have to get me anything".

"Don't be silly. We've only ever sent you a card before. But this year, I want to get you something".

"Alright then. But there's really nothing I want anymore", she said.

"I'm sure I'll find something", she smiled. Ashleigh nodded and then went out back for a bit. She thought about it for the rest of the day and knew exactly what she could do for her niece. She wrote a letter and told her owl to take it to Ginny Weasley.


	15. Ashleigh's 15th Birthday

**A/N: The songs featured in this chapter are 'Smile' by Uncle Kracker, 'More Than Anyone' by Gavin DeGraw and 'All Of Me' by John Legend. If you listen to the songs, it'll probably make more sense. Also, just pretend the songs are from the 90s, lol.**

 **I know they're quite young to be so sappy, romantic and so hurt by things but Hogwarts was the only setting I could think of for Ashleigh and George to actually meet and get together and what not.**

The next three weeks passed in a flash and it was August 14th, Ashleigh's birthday. Tracie prepared a cake and had invited Ginny and Hermione over. Ginny had given her a letter and a CD to listen to.

"You need to go read this letter and listen to this right now", Ginny told her and sent her upstairs.

She sat on her bed and opened the letter.

 _Dear Ashleigh,_

 _I know you hate me right now. But I'd appreciate if you read this letter and listen to the CD._

 _I miss you, so much. The way you made me feel just being in the same room as you, the way you made me smile. You lit up my life more than anyone ever has. I know I was your first relationship and I screwed it up for you and for that, I am so sorry. I'm sorry that I broke your heart; I know what I did was wrong, but it didn't mean anything. I realized what I was doing and pushed her away, but it was too late. The damage had been done. I know you probably can never forgive me, but please listen to the CD._

 _Your Aunt is an amazing person. She brought what she called a laptop over to my house and played me a bunch of music that you like and told me to pick the ones that best depicted my feelings for you, I chose these three. She put them on this disc and played it to me. I thought it was incredible. Please listen to it._

 _George, xoxo_

She put the CD in her stereo and pressed play. The music started and she realized the first song as one of her favorites, 'Smile' by Uncle Kracker.

 _You're better than the best_

 _I'm lucky just to linger in your light_

 _Cooler than the flip-side of my pillow, that's right_

 _Completely unaware_

 _Nothing can compare to where you send me_

 _It lets me know that it's okay, yeah, it's okay_

 _And the moments when my good times start to fade_

 _You make me smile like the sun,_

 _Fall outta bed_

 _Sing like a bird,_

 _Dizzy in my head_

 _Spin like a record,_

 _Crazy on a Sunday night_

 _You make me dance like a fool,_

 _Forget how to breathe_

 _Shine like gold,_

 _Buzz like a bee_

 _Just the thought of you can drive me wild_

 _Oh, you make me smile_

 _Even when you're gone_

 _Somehow you come along_

 _Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack_

 _And just like that_

 _You steal away the rain_

 _And just like that_

 _You make me smile like the sun,_

 _Fall outta bed_

 _Sing like a bird,_

 _Dizzy in my head_

 _Spin like a record,_

 _Crazy on a Sunday night_

 _You make me dance like a fool,_

 _Forget how to breathe_

 _Shine like gold,_

 _Buzz like a bee_

 _Just the thought of you can drive me wild_

 _Oh, you make me smile_

 _Don't know how I lived without you_

 _'Cause every time that I get around you_

 _I see the best of me inside your eyes_

 _You make me smile_

 _You make me dance like a fool,_

 _Forget how to breathe_

 _Shine like gold,_

 _Buzz like a bee_

 _Just the thought of you can drive me wild_

 _You make me smile like the sun,_

 _Fall outta bed_

 _Sing like a bird,_

 _Dizzy in my head_

 _Spin like a record,_

 _Crazy on a Sunday night_

 _You make me dance like a fool,_

 _Forget how to breathe_

 _Shine like gold,_

 _Buzz like a bee_

 _Just the thought of you can drive me wild_

 _Oh, you make me smile_

Ashleigh couldn't help but smile slightly at the song, even though her heart still felt heavy and broken.

The next song was another one of her favorites. It was 'More Than Anyone' by Gavin DeGraw.

 _You need a friend_

 _I'll be around_

 _Don't let this end_

 _Before I see you again_

 _What can I say to convince you_

 _To change your mind of me?_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

 _I'm going to hold you closer than before_

 _And when I kiss your soul, your body be free_

 _I'll be free for you anytime_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

 _Look in my eyes, what do you see?_

 _Not just the color_

 _Look inside of me_

 _Tell me all you need and I will try_

 _I will try_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

 _I'm going to hold you closer than before_

 _And when I kiss your soul, your body be free_

 _I'll be free for you anytime_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

 _Free for you, whenever you need_

 _We'll be free together baby_

 _Free together baby_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

 _I'm going to hold you closer than before_

 _And when I kiss your soul, your body be free_

 _I'll be free for you anytime_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

 _I'm going to love you more than anyone_

By the end of this song, Ashleigh had tears falling from her eyes. She and George had never said they loved each other; they only had small instances where they knew it, and felt it was much too soon to actually say it to each other. They refused to be the couple who were together for such a short time and already confessing their love for one another, especially when they're only teenagers. She didn't know how, but she knew they would know when the right time was.

And the final song that came on was yet another one of her favorites called 'All Of Me' by John Legend.

 _What would I do without your smart mouth?_

 _Drawing me in, and you kicking me out_

 _You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down_

 _What's going on in that beautiful mind_

 _I'm on your magical mystery ride_

 _And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright_

 _My head's under water_

 _But I'm breathing fine_

 _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

 _'Cause all of me_

 _Loves all of you_

 _Love your curves and all your edges_

 _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me_

 _I'll give my all to you_

 _You're my end and my beginning_

 _Even when I lose I'm winning_

 _'Cause I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all of you, oh_

 _How many times do I have to tell you_

 _Even when you're crying you're beautiful too_

 _The world is beating you down; I'm around through every mood_

 _You're my downfall, you're my muse_

 _My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues_

 _I can't stop singing; it's ringing, in my head for you_

 _My head's under water_

 _But I'm breathing fine_

 _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

 _'Cause all of me_

 _Loves all of you_

 _Love your curves and all your edges_

 _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me_

 _I'll give my all to you_

 _You're my end and my beginning_

 _Even when I lose I'm winning_

 _'Cause I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all of you, oh_

 _Give me all of you_

 _Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts_

 _Risking it all, though it's hard_

 _'Cause all of me_

 _Loves all of you_

 _Love your curves and all your edges_

 _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me_

 _I'll give my all to you_

 _You're my end and my beginning_

 _Even when I lose I'm winning_

 _'Cause I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all of you_

 _I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all of you, oh_

By the end of the CD she was sobbing. She still felt the same way for George, she could never hate him. She laid down on her bed in her quiet room. She laid there for about fifteen minutes, just crying. She heard a knock on the door and heard someone come in. She didn't know who it was but she didn't care.

"Ashleigh?" Her eyes flew open, and she pulled the covers up over her face. "Please look at me". She still wouldn't. George sat on the corner of her bed and saw the letter open. He was happy she read it and he knew she listened to the CD because they heard the music downstairs. "Look, I know you hate me. But… I love you. I know we've never said it, even after the hospital but there, I said it. It's out there and it is 1000% true and I know that the right time for me to tell you is right now", he paused to see if she would say something.

Silence.

"I know you probably feel ambushed, and on your birthday no less. But I just needed to see you to tell you face-to-face that I love and miss you every day. Happy birthday beautiful girl", He finished. He kissed her on the top of the head and walked out of the room.

She was still crying for a while before she left her room. She went downstairs and the whole Weasley clan was there now, plus Harry and Hermione. She saw George sitting outside in the backyard by himself and she went straight out the back door. She walked up behind George and tapped him on the shoulder. She still had tears falling, but as soon as he turned around, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I forgive you", she whispered against his lips. He then lifted her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. Everyone in the house was cheering and whistling, except Ethan, who had a look of disgust on his face.


	16. BFF

"It's about time. I was sick of seeing him mope around", Fred said, giving Ashleigh a hug. George smacked him in the head for his comment. "Sorry, but it's true and I'm pretty sure everyone else agrees", he added. Everyone nodded.

"Oh shove off", George mumbled. Ethan poked Ashleigh to get her attention.

"Who are these people?" Ethan whispered to Ashleigh.

"These are my friends from Hogwarts and their family", she said picking him up. "This is Ginny, Ron, Fred and George. And these are their parents, Arthur and Molly. Then there's Harry and Hermione. Everyone, this is my cousin Ethan. He'll be starting Hogwarts this fall", Ashleigh told them. They all said hi, but he was shy.

"Why were you kissing him?" He asked pointing at George.

"Because George is my boyfriend".

"Ewww", he said sticking out his tongue.

"Hey little man, once you start at Hogwarts, I bet you'll have a lot of girlfriends", Fred laughed.

"Nope. Girls are gross", he said. They all laughed.

"I never put him in school, so he's still in the' girls have coodies' phase. But that's probably a good thing for me", Tracie laughed. "I probably should've. But he's always using accidental magic, so I didn't think I should chance it".

"Makes sense", Molly agreed. "I had the same thing with my kids. But we also don't live in a muggle community". Tracie nodded and put the kettle on for tea. They all sat down with their tea and they gave Ashleigh presents. The sofa was very deep so Ashleigh could sit on the sofa between George's legs, as Hermione did the same with Fred.

"You guys didn't need to do that. I think I have everything I need, now that I have friends", George looked at her. "And a boyfriend", she laughed. She purposely left that out to joke around.

"But that's why we did it. Because we're your friends", Hermione smiled.

"Well thank-you", Ashleigh returned the smile. "Wow, this is beautiful", she said, looking at the silver locket in the box that Hermione had given her.

"I know. I got it so you could put a picture of you and your parents in it, then you'd have them with you all the time", Hermione told her.

"Thank you. I love it", Ashleigh smiled and hugged her.

Molly and Arthur knitted her another jumper, with matching socks, this time it was gold with a red 'A'. "Thank-you Mr. and Mrs. Weasley", Ashleigh smiled, hugging them.

Fred gave her a beautiful pair of silver earrings. "Hermione and I got them together. I got the earrings to match the locket", Fred told her. Ashleigh hugged him.

"Thank you. They're beautiful".

Ginny and Harry got her a few new books that Ginny had read before and told Ashleigh about. "Thank you. Now I have something to read before bed", she smiled, hugging both of them.

Tracie got her a beautiful dress, which was all black, down to the knees and strapless. "You and mom have very similar taste, thank you. It's beautiful", she said hugging her Aunt.

"You're welcome. And I also got you these flats to go with it", she handed her a shoe box.

"They're gorgeous", Ashleigh smiled.

"I figured my presence here was gift enough", George smiled. Fred smacked him.

"It is", Ashleigh turned her head smiling and kissed him lightly.

"Oh, then I can take this back?" He asked, showing her a little box.

"No", Ashleigh said quickly. He opened the box to reveal a charm bracelet with a few different charms on it. There was an 'A', a 'G', a Heart and a Lion. "It's beautiful, I love it", she smiled as he put it on her wrist. She turned around to hug him.

"Good, I'm glad", he smiled.

Tracie brought out the cake and they all horribly sang 'Happy Birthday' to Ashleigh and she cut the cake, giving everybody a decent sized piece.

"I don't want to take this day from you, but Harry and I were wondering if we could make an announcement?" Ginny whispered to Ashleigh.

"You're going out?" Ashleigh smirked when Ginny blushed.

"How'd you guess?"

"It was inevitable", Ashleigh laughed. "Go for it". Ginny nodded to Harry and got everyone's attention.

"So… Harry and I a-"

"Dating?" Everyone coursed except Tracie and Ethan.

"I told you, we all knew it was going to happen", Ashleigh laughed. "Even I knew and I've only been around you for almost a year".

"Okay, okay", Ginny said as everyone laughed at her tomato red face.

"Congrats though", Hermione smiled. "Now we just need to get Ronald hooked up. Lavender Brown seems to have an eye on you", Hermione told him. His ears went bright red.

"How long have you guys been together?" Fred asked.

"Last night", Harry laughed.

"I have one more surprise for you. It just arrived", Tracie said as the doorbell rang. They all sat there, wondering what it could be. A few minutes later a girl walked in, she was thin, had long blonde hair with the underside died blue.

"Hanna?" Ashleigh gasped.

"Yes. I found her address and invited her to come visit you. I thought you might be a little homesick", Tracie explained. Ashleigh got up and walked over to give her a hug. Hanna hugged her back. She looked surprised to see so many people there.

"Guys, this is my one and only friend from school back home, Hanna Adams", Ashleigh went through the group introducing her to everyone. "And this is George, he's…" she trailed off.

"Ashleigh's boyfriend", George finished, smiling.

"Boyfriend?" She raised her eyebrows and smirked at Ashleigh.

"Yes", George said. "Nice to meet you", he smiled, shaking her hand.

"Looks like you're doing really well here", Hanna said.

"I am. I sometimes miss it back home, but only because of you. The rest of it is haunting", Ashleigh told her. "Here, sit down".

"Thanks. Yeah, people at our school weren't and still aren't nice. It's not the same without you though", Hanna told her as she sat down.

"It took me a while but I got used to being here. I really like Hogwarts, my new school. Most of the people are super nice. Except one tried to kill me", Hanna gasped at that.

"Why would someone want to kill you?" She asked.

"She was jealous that George chose me or something. But she's locked up now", Ashleigh told her friend.

"That's crazy. How come you never wrote to me to tell me that?" Hanna asked.

"I didn't hear anything from you, so I figured you moved on. You know me, always assuming the worst", Ashleigh said.

"Are you kidding? I don't know what to do without you", Hanna said, hugging Ashleigh again.

"I'm sorry. But how long are you staying?" Ashleigh asked.

"My parents didn't even want me to come. But I managed to get them to let me stay until next weekend. So about 7 days", Hanna told her.

"Awesome", Ashleigh smiled.


	17. The Fight

"So, is George a good kisser?" Hanna asked Ashleigh once they were in bed on Hanna's fourth night there.

"Honestly?" Hanna nodded her head. "Yes", Ashleigh blushed.

"I can't believe my wittle Ashleigh is all growed up", Hanna cooed.

"Oh, shove off", Ashleigh playfully smacked Hanna's arm.

"Shove off? Already picked up British terminology, have you?" Hanna smirked.

"I guess I have", Ashleigh laughed a little.

"So you like it here?" Hanna asked.

"Yes, I love it. Most people are so much nicer and were really welcoming. Until I got stabbed. But now i see things in a whole new light. For the first time I can ever remember, I stuck up for myself and laid everything out on the table", Ashleigh explained to her friend.

"That's good. I'm glad you like it here. People back home think you killed yourself after your parents died", Hanna told her sheepishly.

"What? You told them I didn't, right?" Hanna said nothing for a few minutes.

"Not exactly", she mumbled.

"Hanna, why wouldn't you tell them they were wrong!?" Ashleigh yelled.

"I…" Hanna started but stopped.

"I see. You don't want people to hear you sticking up for me. I thought we were friends, but clearly I was wrong. You could never keep a secret because you like live off gossip, as long as it doesn't hurt you, you don't want people to know you're still friends with me. What the hell is wrong with you?" Ashleigh said angrily. She got up, grabbed her pillows and headed out the door.

"Ashleigh, wait!" Hanna called and followed her. "I'm sorry; I don't know why I didn't tell them. I just couldn't", she said as Ashleigh made up the couch to sleep on.

"You _couldn't_? You _couldn't_ stick up for your friend? You _couldn't_ possibly let them know that you're still friends with the big ugly whale!? I thought I had at least one true friend before coming here, but I guess that was a lie to you", Ashleigh huffed as her aunt came down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" She asked, after seeing angry tears in Ashleigh's eyes.

"What's _wrong_ , is that she's leaving tomorrow. And I never want to hear from or see you again", Ashleigh told her and flopped down on the couch.

"Ashleigh please", Hanna tried begging but Ashleigh ignored her and just laid down to go to sleep. "I'm so sorry Miss Scott, for causing this disturbance so late", Hanna said and ran back upstairs into Ashleigh's room.

"Ashleigh?" Tracie asked.

"She was never a friend Aunt Tracie. Never!" Ashleigh yelled in frustration.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tracie asked.

"No. I just wanna go to sleep please", Ashleigh told her aunt. Tracie got up and went back to her room, figuring Ashleigh will talk about it when she wants too.

The next morning was a quiet one. Hanna tried talking to Ashleigh again, but she wouldn't talk to her. Ashleigh babysat Ethan while Tracie took Hanna to the airport.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked.

"I'll be alright buddy. I've got you, Aunt Tracie and my friends from school. Don't worry about me", Ashleigh told her younger cousin as she prepared them breakfast consisting of bacon, scrambled eggs, breakfast sausages and toast.

"Okay, if you're sure. Thank you for breakfast", Ethan smiled.

"You're welcome bud", Ashleigh said, sitting with him at the table as he dug into his food. Tracie got back a couple hours later and when she got home, she saw Ashleigh and Ethan in the backyard playing what looked like tag.

"Having fun you two?" She laughed as they both spun around and smiled.

"Yes mum!" Ethan yelled as Ashleigh finally caught him.

At The Burrow Fred couldn't help but laugh at George every chance he could.

"Would you shut up!?" George yelled at him one night.

"What?" Fred asked, trying to play innocent.

"Don't play innocent with me, you've been laughing at me every time you've laid eyes on me since Ashleigh's birthday", George grumbled in frustration.

"It's only because I've never seen you so…." Fred started.

"Mushy? Corny? Cheesy? Gross?" Ron finished, entering the room.

"Exactly", Fred smirked.

"Don't make me hex you into next week, you gits", George said, but he couldn't avoid the blush creeping up on his face.

"Awe, Georgie's blushing", Fred said in a sickly sweet kiddy voice. Ron laughed. At that, George jumped over onto Fred's bed and tackled him.

"Boys, if you break that box spring, you're sleeping on the floor since I won't magically fix it and I won't let you do it yourselves!" Molly shouted from the bottom of the stairs. George didn't much care, since it was Fred's bed anyway, so he kept wrestling with him until Fred admitted defeat.

"Now will you shut up and leave me alone?" George asked.

"I dunno that we can do that", Fred smirked.

"Wait until I start making fun of you and Hermione", George sneered. That shut Fred right up.

'I'll join you on that one", Ron smirked and left the room.

"So what did you say to Ashleigh that made her forgive you for snogging a _Slytherin_ , of all people?" Fred asked.

"The truth", George stated and shut the lights off. He got into bed and Fred sat there stunned.

"You're seriously not going to tell me?"

"Nope", George smirked.

"You're such an ass", Fred sighed, getting into bed himself.

The next morning, Molly made a huge breakfast, bigger than normal. No one knew why and she said it was just because.

"I just felt like cooking extra", Molly kept saying. "Is that a problem? You boys all love food", she reminded them. They all laughed and nodded. Molly left the room for a minute and when she returned, she wasn't alone. "Or maybe it's because we have guests this morning", she said. Behind her were Tracie and Ethan.

"Where's Ashleigh?" Hermione asked.

"She wasn't feeling too great so she stayed home", Tracie told them. They all nodded, but George knew something was wrong. He eyed Tracie and she nodded her head, knowing what he was asking with his stare. "She'll be okay. Just eat", she told them as they all looked a little worried. George ate his food as quickly as he could and then pulled Tracie aside.

"So what's really wrong?" He asked Tracie.

"I can't really say because she won't talk to me. But I was hoping you would go talk to her. See if she'll open up to you?" Tracie asked him. He nodded and headed to the fireplace.


	18. A Haunted Past

George flooed to Tracie's house, but he couldn't find Ashleigh anywhere. He walked upstairs and looked in the open rooms and then found hers at the end of the hall, which was closed. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He slowly opened the door and saw Ashleigh lying on her bed in her robe. Her hair was wet so he figured she had recently gotten out of the shower. He slowly walked over to the bed to see if she was awake or asleep. His eyes couldn't help but notice that the robe was open slightly, not that he could see anything, except scars and fresh cuts on her legs. He just looked at the scars and fresh cuts and didn't know what to think. He covered her up with her blanket and just sat there and let her sleep. He sat there quietly for an hour before she woke up.

"George? What're you doing here?" She asked, realizing she was covered with her blanket.

"I knew something was wrong from the look on your aunt's face when she said you weren't feeling well. Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Not really", Ashleigh sighed, getting out of bed. "You didn't see anything, did you?" She asked sheepishly when she realized she was still in her bath robe. She grabbed pyjamas and went to the bathroom to quickly put them on. When she came back out George answered her.

"Not really. But I need you to tell me the truth", she froze but nodded. "Did you put those cuts on your legs?" She stood there for a few minutes before nodding and putting her head towards the ground. "Why?" He asked softly. She was surprised he didn't yell at her.

"I…" She started, but didn't quite know what to say.

"Come here", George said, grabbing her hands and leading her back to the bed. He sat her down and sat beside her, their backs against the head board. He put his arm around her and looked straight into her eyes. "You can talk to me. _Please_ talk to me", George said. Ashleigh could see in his eyes that he was being sincere, but she always had trouble talking about things with people. She put her head down and silent tears started to fall. "Don't cry, I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Despite my prat brothers constantly laughing at me", he told her, which earned a small giggle.

"I just don't know how. I've never had anyone there for me like you, your family, Hermione and Harry. So it's hard, especially since you're a guy. The only man I ever had in my life was my dad and I couldn't talk to him about this. I've talked to Hermione and Ginny a bit but not about what you just saw", she told him, still with tears in her eyes.

"Well you can trust me. I know with recent events, you might find that hard to believe. But you can", he told her, hugging her tightly to him, he felt her nod her head.

"I know. I can see it in your beautiful brown eyes, that you're being sincere", she told him.

"Beautiful?" He asked.

"Mhm, very", she smiled, wiping her tears away.

"Thank you. But your blue eyes are better than mine", George smirked.

"Thank you", she said. They fell into a comfortable silence just sitting together on her bed; George still had his arms wrapped around Ashleigh. They sat like that for fifteen minutes before Ashleigh spoke again. "I… I think I'm ready to talk", she told George. He looked at her and nodded reassuringly.

"Whenever you're ready", he told her and kissed the side of her head.

"So, it started a long time ago. My parents put me in Muggle School so I could get an education before going to magical school. My mom didn't even know for sure if I was magical, because my dad was a muggle. But the school I went to, all the kids were so nasty. They always called me the meanest names they could think of, since I was 5 years old, until I got my letter for my magical studies. I thought it would stop once I went there, but those kids were worse", she paused. George squeezed her hand.

"I'm here for you. Just take your time", he told her. She nodded.

"So Hanna befriended me and that was the first time I ever had a friend in my entire life. I thought it was great. But I found out that she couldn't keep a secret to save her life. She was always telling me people's secrets, so I never told her any of mine. But the kids all still made fun of me, it didn't matter", she paused again.

"So quite early in my life, I think I was 8, my doctor told me that I had symptoms of depression and anxiety. I was always afraid to go to school, because I didn't know if the bullying would turn physical. So I would have panic attacks every day when my mom dropped me off. As for the depression, I was always shrinking away from people and refused to go out in public, always shut myself in my room", she finally looked up at George and saw he was looking at her and listening intently.

"So my mom made me see our family doctor and then she sent me to a councillor. To which she prescribed me some medication, but I stopped taking it because it was making me constantly tired and I couldn't function during the day. So then I discovered that physical pain helped the emotional. My depression got worse after my parents died", she put her head down and he could tell she was crying again.

"Shh, it's okay", George said, rubbing her back. "Why did you do it today?" He asked after ten minutes of silence.

"I told Hanna I never wanna see or hear from her again", she told him as she stopped her tears.

"What happened?" He asked.

"She told me that everyone back home thought I killed myself after my parents died. I asked her if she told them I didn't and was actually living with my aunt now. She didn't, she let them believe I killed myself because she doesn't want them to know she's still friends with a big ugly whale", she started crying again.

"Hey. _You are not a big ugly whale_ ", George told her firmly. "You are my beautiful pleasantly plump girlfriend, who I love", he told her. He laid them down on the bed under the covers and held her to him. She rested her head on the front of his shoulder, in the crook of his neck and rested her hand on his chest.

"Pleasantly plump?" She asked.

"Yes. That is one thing I love about you, you're curves and all your edges. You're perfect imperfections", he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Quoting one of my favorite songs now, are you?" She giggled a little.

"Yes. I like that song and I want you to know that I don't care that you're not a twig, or you don't wear pounds of make-up like most of the Barbie's at school. I love you, _for you_ ", he emphasized.

"You know what?" She asked.

"What babe?" George asked.

"I love you too", she smiled at finally being able to say it.

"I want you to know that I am here for you, I want you to talk to me whenever you feel down about something or someone does something to make you feel bad about yourself. I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore, come to me, anytime. Promise me that you will?" George asked.

"I promise", she smiled lightly, lifting her head to kiss him. "Thank you. For everything", he nodded his head in acknowledgment and they fell into another comfortable silence. Not too long after, George heard Ashleigh's breathing shallow and knew she had fallen back to sleep. Not long after, George fell into a comfortable sleep, Ashleigh still laying on him and his arm around her.


	19. Afternoon Nap

Tracie knew that George was still over at her house with Ashleigh so she asked Molly if it would be okay if her and Ethan hung around for the day.

"Of course! You're more than welcome to stay for dinner as well if you'd like", Molly smiled.

"We'd love to, thank you so much for your hospitality", Tracie smiled.

"You're so welcome. We love Ashleigh and we love having you're company", Molly smiled. "By the way, have you seen George?"

"Actually, yes. He left right after breakfast to go to my house. Ashleigh is having a rough time. She wouldn't talk to me though, so I asked George if he would see if she'd talk to him", Tracie told Molly.

"Okay, thanks for telling me", Molly smiled.

"You're welcome. And thanks again for having us. I think Ethan is having a wonderful time playing with Fred", Tracie laughed as she watched the boys out the window.

"Yes, Fred and George have always been kids at heart. But I have never seen George care for someone as much as he does for Ashleigh. I quite like the change", Molly smiled.

"I never would've known that he was such a prankster or anything if no one told me", Tracie laughed.

"I think it's good for him, to have someone like Ashleigh to care for and care for him back", Molly told her. "Now only if Hermione could get Fred to settle down a bit", Molly added.

"I'm working on it", Hermione laughed as she walked into the sitting room.

"That's what I like to hear", Molly smiled.

A couple hours later, dinner was ready but George wasn't home yet. Tracie assumed that he managed to get Ashleigh to open up to him. Molly didn't seem too concerned that he wasn't home and she knew she could trust Ashleigh to be alone with him at home. After everyone ate, they all wanted to go to Tracie's to see Ashleigh, since she had missed out on a whole day of fun. They all took turns flooing to her house and once they were all there, Tracie led them upstairs to her room. It was really quiet and they could see some light from under the door.

Tracie opened the door and walked in. The lamp on the bedside table was turned on, and she stopped when she saw the site on the bed. Everyone else did the same thing. They all quietly awed at the site before them.

George and Ashleigh were asleep in the middle of the bed, covers up to their waist. George had an arm around her and Ashleigh had her head on the front of his shoulder, in the crook of his neck with her hand rested on his chest. They didn't want to wake them so they all started backing out slowly, but someone backed into the wall. Molly turned around and of course, it was Fred. The noise was loud enough that George started to stir.

"Way to go Fred", Hermione whispered.

"What's going on?" George asked groggily as he saw everyone standing in the room.

"Just ogling at how cute you two are", Molly smiled. This caused George to look down and saw the head rested on him. He forgot where he was for a moment. But then he smiled once he saw that he was with Ashleigh.

"Everyone out now", Molly ushered quietly. George laid there for a bit, not wanting to wake Ashleigh. She woke up on her own about half an hour after George.

"Hello beautiful", George smiled.

"Hi", she smiled back tiredly. "Did we sleep all afternoon?" She asked.

"Yes. And my whole family, Harry, Hermione, Tracie and Ethan were all just in here staring at us until I woke up, half an hour ago", George told her. Ashleigh blushed a little and decided she should get up.

"Oh, wonderful. Not going to hear the end of this one", she sighed. "Please don't tell anyone about what I told you or what I did?" She asked.

"Never", he smiled, grabbing her hand and following her out of her room and downstairs to the rest of the families.

"She lives", Ginny grinned, getting up to give her a hug.

"Yes, yes I do", Ashleigh grinned back, returning the hug. "So what're you all doing here?" She asked. "Not that I mind. Just curious".

"Tracie said you weren't feeling well this morning so we all decided after eating dinner that we wanted to come see you and make sure you were okay", Molly told her.

"Oh, yeah. I'm okay now. Thanks for caring though", she told them, smiling.

"Of course dear. Anyone who can make George settle down so much is perfect in my books and _very_ welcome to the family", Molly giggled and gave her a tight hug.

"Thank you", Ashleigh said, returning the hug and then giving all the others hugs. Molly pulled out two large bags that she had brought.

"Dinner for you and George. I wasn't sure if you guys had eaten. And since you were sleeping when we came in, I'm guessing you didn't", Molly finished.

"No, we didn't. Thank you so much. Looks and smells wonderful", Ashleigh smiled as the food served itself.

"You're welcome dear. But now that we've all seen you, we should be going. We'll let you two eat in private", Molly said, ushering everyone back to the fireplace.

"Yes. Ethan, let's go upstairs. You need a bath anyway", Tracie said. Ethan ran up the stairs, Tracie following.

"Shall we eat m'lady?" George asked, pulling out a chair for Ashleigh.

"Why thank you kind sir", she smiled and sat down. George sat down opposite her.

"My pleasure", he smiled as they tucked into their Weasley home cooked meal.

"Thank you George", Ashleigh said after a few minutes of silence.

"For what?" He asked slightly confused.

"For everything. For being there for me, letting me talk to you about my boring problems and actually listening", Ashleigh said.

"No problem is boring. If talking to me will help you, you need to talk to me about things more often", he told her. "But you're welcome", he smiled. "I'm happy to be here for you. Every step of the way to get out of a slump", he added.

"I really do appreciate it", she smiled.

"I know. And I appreciate you opening up to me. I know that was really hard for you to do".

"It was at first. But once I started talking, everything just came tumbling out a lot easier than I thought it would", she told him. He nodded. "Do you think your family is gonna make fun of us for what they saw earlier?" She asked.

"They'll make fun of me for sure, but that's okay. If they try to take a stab at you, they'll have another thing coming to them", George laughed.

"No, that's okay. I don't want to be the reason all jokes and pranks die out in your family", she told him.

"Okay. But I'm warning you, if they start poking fun at you, you'll regret telling me it's okay", he warned her.


	20. The New School Year Begins

The last week of the summer holiday went by quite quickly and before they knew it, it was time to go back to Hogwarts. Molly took all of the kids to Diagon Alley to get all of their supplies, including Ashleigh. She loved Diagon Alley and had never seen anything like it before. Also during the last week of holiday, they kept hearing about disappearances and a lot of them being Muggle families. They all knew who it was but the Ministry of Magic refused to believe that Voldemort was back.

They arrived at Hogwarts and went up to the castle via the carriages. Once they were all seated, professor Dumbledore got up and introduced the new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, who just so happened to work for the Ministry. They quickly learned on the first day of classes that they wouldn't be allowed to use their wands in class and were to only read the textbooks and write notes to prepare for their OWL exams.

The students were absolutely appalled by this and decided they needed to do something so all of them could learn to protect themselves. Hermione came up the clever plan to have Harry teach the students, but he didn't think anyone would go a long with it because they thought he had gone mad, since they believed everything written in the daily prophet but it was all utter lies.

Hermione arranged for some of their housemates and other students from other houses to meet in Hogsmeade and explained why she had them there. Everyone was skeptical at first, but they all agreed to join. They named the group Dumbledore's Army, The DA for short. They had about thirty people sign up for it and then all that was left was to find a location.

"The room of requirement!" George all of a sudden yelled in a whisper.

"I read about that. It opens in the form of what the user needs. That would be perfect", Hermione smiled. She later went to find said room and succeeded. She then had everyone meet her in the room and told them when they will be meeting three times a week, Friday after dinner, Saturday and Sunday during the afternoon.

They all got to work right away on learning new spells and avoiding Umbridge. Harry got detention for yelling at her and her form of detention was dreadful. Umbridge was ruining the school. Hermione and Fred as well as Ashleigh and George, decided to piss her off one day for fun when they got bored. They each stood on one side of her office door, snogging. One of her new rules was no boys or girls could be within 2 feet of each other.

"Enough!" She yelled when she came out of her office. This caused all of them to laugh and run away before she could give them detention.

"What's got you four laughing so hard?" Harry asked as they came running through the portrait.

"We decided to piss Umbridge off", Fred started.

"They stood on one side of her office and Ashleigh and I stood on the other", George continued.

"And we were snogging when she came out and yelled at us", Hermione laughed.

"But we ran before she could give us detention", Ashleigh finished, still laughing.

"You should have seen her face!" George yelled because he was laughing so hard.

"We could imagine", Harry laughed, Ron and Ginny nodding. They were more laughing at how hard the other four were laughing about such an immature stunt.

"You two are a bad influence on Hermione and Ashleigh", Ginny told them.

"We know", the twins said in unison while smirking.

"But they both needed some fun and to lighten up", Fred said, looking at the two girls with innocent looks plastered on their faces.

"Yeah, whatever", Ginny said, giving up and sitting back down.

The first two months of school went by and everyone was upset and frustrated about Umbridge slowly taking over Hogwarts. The secret meetings were going well and all the students were learning the defensive spells quite quickly. It was now Halloween and Fred and Hermione's first anniversary.

"We had to choose Halloween, didn't we?" Hermione said as Fred showed up to their secret date dressed in a clown costume.

"Of course", he beamed. "Halloween is great".

"Except I hate clowns", she mumbled. Fred heard her and his face dropped.

"Oops", was all he said.

"Yeah, oops. Why couldn't you pick something nice and sweet?" She asked.

"I thought this costume was that", he told her.

"Not quite", she said, sitting down.

"Sorry", he pouted, sitting down in front of her.

"It's okay I guess. At least I know you're under there. But if you expect a snogging session, you're losing that costume", she told him.

"Uhh… I have nothing but boxers on under here", he told her sheepishly.

"That's okay", Hermione winked. He gulped. "Don't look so frightened, I won't bite… Much", she added as an afterthought. They ate the food they had Dobby the house elf bring up to their date in the room of requirement and afterwards, Hermione made Fred lose the costume. She had never seen him shirtless yet, so she was impressed with how fit he was. She eyed him and walked slowly toward him, the look in her eyes caused him to back up. She practically pounced at him and he had no choice but to catch her or else she might've hurt herself. They both toppled back onto the couch they had asked the room for.

Hermione sat on Fred's lap and grabbed his lips in hers. Shocked at first by her sudden ferocity, he kissed her back. She ground her hips into him, causing him to groan in pleasure, which Hermione thought was sexy. She continued to do this every few minutes until Fred had enough and flipped her onto her back on the couch.

"Now, is this fair? I'm already almost naked and you're fully clothed", he said. This caused Hermione to unbutton her shirt a few buttons.

"You do the rest", she winked. He followed her orders until she was in her bra and jeans. She stood up and pulled her jeans off and she wore lacy underwear underneath. Fred eyed her up and down and she noticed.

She flopped back down onto her back on the couch and pulled him down with her. He connected their lips and resumed their heated snogging session. This time, it was Fred who ground his hips into Hermione, causing her to moan. She paused for a moment, grabbed her wand and cast a contraceptive charm on them.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Fred asked.

"Positive", Hermione grinned. Fred shrugged his shoulders and continued there snogging.

Not long after, Hermione could feel that she was being poked and she was 99% sure that it wasn't a wand. He stared into her eyes to make sure she was still alright with it. She nodded so he slowly closed the distance between their bodies.

Half an hour later after the high had worn down; Fred rolled over and pulled Hermione close to him.

"Happy anniversary Hermione. I love you" he whispered in her ear, this was the first time this had been said. She smiled, knowing nothing could trump this as an anniversary gift.

"Happy anniversary Fred, I love you too" she whispered back as they both drifted off to sleep.


	21. De-Flowering Jokes

The next morning Hermione woke up in her dorm, she figured Fred must've carried her. Ashleigh was already awake. Hermione looked at her and smiled.

"Morning", she said as she sat up and stretched.

"Morning", Ashleigh yawned.

Hermione grabbed her bathroom stuff and jumped into the shower. After she got out, Ashleigh was staring at her. "What?" Hermione asked.

"You seem… Different", Ashleigh said as Hermione got dressed. Ashleigh thought for a few minutes and a light bulb went off in her head. "You guys totally did it last night!" She screamed.

"I dunno what you're talking about", Hermione said innocently.

"Oh, come off it! I saw Hanna after she lost her virginity and she had the same glow you do right now!" Ashleigh said.

"Fine, I give! Yes, we did it last night. Happy?" Hermione asked.

"Almost. I want all the juicy details", Ashleigh winked. Hermione blushed as she sat down on her bed.

"What kind of details?" She asked.

"First, how _big_ was he?" Ashleigh asked.

"Not huge, but not small either. Perfect for me", Hermione blushed. She couldn't believe she was telling her friend this kind of stuff.

"Was he good, did he last long?"

"Yeah, pretty good and quite a long time", Hermione said, still blushing.

"How was it for you?"

"Amazing. I've never felt anything like it", Hermione gushed. "You and George haven't?" She asked.

"No. I'm not comfortable enough with my body to do that yet", Ashleigh told her.

"Oh. I thought maybe that day we came to your house and you guys were napping. I thought maybe _that's_ why you were napping", Hermione giggled.

"Nope. I was just having a bad day, and we ended up falling asleep after we finished talking", Ashleigh explained.

"Ohhh", Hermione said, Ashleigh nodded.

"I bet you the boys are making fun of Fred right now", Ashleigh laughed. "Because if I can tell, they'd definitely be able to tell", she said. Hermione looked a bit frightened.

"We better get going", she said and got up to leave. Ashleigh followed her to the common room and as soon as they got down the stairs, George wolf whistled at Hermione, causing her cheeks to go as red as the Weasley's hair. Fred sat in the armchair and put his head in his hands. Hermione just stared at them. Ashleigh couldn't help but laugh.

"George, that's not very nice", Ashleigh scolded.

"He's my brother, I have to embarrass him", George reasoned.

"But you're also embarrassing Hermione", she told him. This caused him to look apologetically at Hermione.

"Um, did we miss something?" Ginny asked. Harry and Ron look confused as well.

"Well it seems", George started. Hermione gave him a warning look but he continued. "That our dear brother Freddie here and our dear friend Hermione, have finally done _the deed_ ", he told them. Hermione walked over and slapped George on his arm.

"Wait, what?" Ron said and then sudden realization hit him. "Ohhh, too much info!"

"You guys asked!" George said. Fred was still in the armchair, the most embarrassed he's ever been.

"Well I'm sorry for asking", Ginny said as she blushed.

"Oh, don't be weirdoes. It's perfectly natural to have urges. Especially us teenagers", George winked at Ashleigh. That didn't go unnoticed by anyone so they all looked over to her, assuming they'd done it to.

"Oh, no. Unlike my dear friend Hermione here, I am still fully intact", Ashleigh laughed at the look on Hermione's face. "I'm sorry! I couldn't help but make a joke about it. It's too good not too", she laughed.

"Oh, whatever", Hermione said and went over to Fred. She pulled his hands away from his face and sat on his lap. His face was still as red as ever and Hermione laughed a little. "They would've known eventually. So let them have their fun. Don't let it embarrass you", Hermione told him.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to live with five brothers and a sister. And George no doubt, owled the other guys about it. Because that's what George does", Fred scowled.

"Oh well, they'll get over it. Just wait until we can make fun of Ashleigh and George", that brightened Fred's spirits but Ashleigh and George both turned beet red.

"You guys will never find out. We know how to hide things", George laughed. Ashleigh nodded as she wrapped her arms around George's waist.

"So, that means that you probably have done it!" Fred shouted.

"No, I wasn't lying when I said I was intact", Ashleigh laughed.

"Well damn", Fred sighed. Ashleigh and George both snapped their heads in his direction. "I was hoping I wasn't the only one. I wanted to make fun of George", Fred pouted.

"I'm telling you right now Fred, you will _never_ find out", Ashleigh smirked.

"George won't be able to keep it to himself", Fred laughed, earning a smack to the back of the head from George.

"I love how you're talking about this in the middle of the common room", Ginny laughed.

"Yeah, can we not talk about this anymore please? I don't think everyone else wants to hear about the bookworm's sex life", Fred grinned. Hermione blushed and smacked him in the back of the head. "Will you guys _stop_ hitting me!? You're making me lose brain cells". Everyone snapped their heads to him.

"Too late for that", Ginny laughed. This caused Fred to smack her. "Ow! Stupid prick", she mumbled.

"One question, you guys used protection right?" Harry asked.

"Duh", Fred said.

"I can't believe you just asked me, Hermione Granger, that question Harry James Potter". Harry raised his hands in defeat.

"Hey, I have a question", Lee Jordan asked walking over to them. "Were you a virgin too Fred?" Everyone jumped when they heard Lee's voice and then everyone looked at Fred.

"You were listening!?" Hermione yelled.

"Of course! Don't talk about something in the common room if you don't want anyone else to hear it. Luckily for you, I'm the only other one down here", Lee smirked. Fred's blush returned.

"He was!" George yelled, laughing hysterically.

"I wouldn't be so quick to out your twin there George. Because you are too", Lee laughed. Ashleigh and the others couldn't help but laugh at the blush on George's face that now matched the shade on Fred's face.

"You little prat!" George growled.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Fred asked.

"Because George and I were talking one night and he let it slip when I mentioned something about virginity", Lee laughed.

"I'm gonna kill you Lee Jordan!" George yelled and chased Lee up the stairs. A few minutes later they heard a huge bang on the floor above them and Lee yelled out.

"I think George caught him", Ginny laughed.

"I wonder if he'll actually kill him", Fred thought out loud.

"I hope not" Hermione giggled, shaking her head.

A few minutes later George came back down, followed by Lee who now sported a massive black eye.

"George Weasley!" Ashleigh yelled.

"What, he deserved it!" George said walking over to her. She backed away and started laughing as an idea popped into her head. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"One good thing came from Lee's outburst, at least I won't be the only one terrible at it", she laughed and ran as George's face went beet red and he just stared at the floor. The girls gave Ashleigh a high five for giving George what he deserved for giving Lee a black eye. The guys just stared at George.

"Damn, that's cold", Harry said before bursting into fits of laughter, with everyone else in the room.

"Okay, as interesting as this has been, I think I'm done hearing about my brothers sex lives… Or non-existent sex lives in George's case", Ginny laughed as George smacked her upside the head. "Damnit", Ginny said rubbing her head.


	22. Eavesdropping

The next two months went fairly slowly for Fred and Hermione. No one would ease up on the jokes of them deflowering each other. Fred began to worry as Christmas holidays came up; as he was sure his mum was bound to find out. They were currently on their way back to London.

"No one! I repeat no one, say any jokes near mum. Or I will pull a George and give each of you black eyes!" Fred threatened.

"Oh Freddie, we promise not to say anything about your coitus session with Hermione", George grinned.

"That's it!" Fred yelled and jumped up to hit George. George pushed Fred and he ended up grabbing Ashleigh's breasts as he tried to save himself. He froze not realizing what was going on and Ashleigh just laughed it off.

"Uh Fred? You're kinda touching my breasts", she said. George pushed Fred again and he slipped and kicked Ashleigh in the shins. "Goddamnit Fred!" Ashleigh yelled.

"I'll beat ya for touching her chest, I swear", George told his twin who was on the floor.

"It was your fault for pushing me!" Fred defended himself. Hermione just stared in amusement and burst out laughing, as did Ashleigh.

"Well I didn't want a black eye. But I'll gladly give _you_ one", George said kicking Fred in the bum as he got off the floor, causing Fred to hit his head off the seat.

"You idiot!" Fred said holding his eye.

"Serves you right", George smiled.

"Okay, enough. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. And now Fred…"Ashleigh started but stopped when Fred turned around. "Has a huge gash and a shiner", she finished.

"Way to go George", Fred mumbled.

"Sit down Fred. I'll clean you up", Ashleigh told him as she got her bag down from the wrack. She wiped the blood off of his eyebrow and face to take a look at the gash. She leaned in take a closer look and her chest was right in front of Fred's face. She had to tease George to get him back.

"Nice rack", Fred smirked, figuring out what Ashleigh was doing. George was fuming now and they couldn't contain there laughter. Even Hermione knew what they were doing and laughed at George's expense.

"Fred, I'll kill you", George snarled.

"Hey, she's the one shoving them in my face", Fred laughed.

"Ashleigh, I'll get you back later. Trust me", George looked sternly at her.

"What does that mean?" Ashleigh asked, turning around. Her face was red from laughing so hard.

"You'll just have to wait and see", George smirked.

"You're an ass", Ashleigh said as she continued cleaning Fred's gash.

"I know", George smirked.

Ashleigh finished cleaning Fred's wound and put gauze on it so the bleeding would stop.

"Thanks Ashleigh", Fred smiled and winked.

"Okay, I think that's as much flirting between you two as I can handle", Hermione said. "It was funny to bug George but let's all just calm down", Hermione told them.

"Alright", they agreed and continued snickering and laughing at George being all pouty.

"Awe, baby. Don't be so pouty", Ashleigh said sitting on George's lap.

"It's your fault ya big flirt", George mumbled.

"Hey, I've never had the opportunity before so shush", she said forcing him to look at her. When he finally looked at her, she smirked and planted a big wet sloppy kiss on his mouth.

"Thanks for that", he said, trying to keep a straight face.

"You're welcome. I've been saving it for you", she laughed, until he wiped his mouth on her shirt. "Hey, not cool".

The rest of the ride to London was peaceful and George finally stopped pouting. They met Mrs. Weasley on the platform and they all flooed back to The Burrow. Hermione, Harry and Ashleigh were all going with them as well. Molly had dinner prepared already and put a warming charm on all the plates. As soon as they got in they sat down to eat.

"Fred, what on earth happened to your eye?" Molly asked.

"Ask my wonderful twin", Fred said, glaring at George.

"George, you did that to your brother?" Molly gasped.

"Not purposely, I pushed him and he fell, hitting his face off the front of the seats on the train", George said, all the kids laughed but Molly wasn't too happy.

"Why did you push him?" She asked curiously, staring at George. George looked at the others and couldn't contain the laughter anymore at the look on Fred's face.

"He, uh… He tried tackling me but I pushed him away which caused him to grope Ashleigh's chest, so I pushed him again and he ended up on the floor and kicked Ashleigh in the shins", George told her. "Then I kicked him in the bum when he was standing up", he finished. Everyone, especially the ones who weren't there, were laughing, except Molly.

"Fred Weasley, you did what?" Molly asked sternly.

"It wasn't my fault. He pushed me", Fred defended himself. "But it was a good feel", he laughed, earning a smack from Ashleigh and Hermione. If looks could kill, Fred would've dropped dead at George's stare.

"You keep your hands and thoughts to yourself", Molly told him as she shook her head and started eating.

George was sitting beside Ashleigh and decided he wanted to rub her leg under the table and she didn't know until then, that where he was rubbing was a turn on spot. She pinched his hand so he would stop, but he wouldn't. When dinner was over, Ashleigh left the table as quickly as she could and went to the bathroom where George couldn't get to her. Hermione followed her and knocked on the door.

"You okay Ashleigh?" She asked softly. Ashleigh opened the door and let Hermione in.

"I think I realized what George's pay back will consist of", she told Hermione, catching her attention. "All through dinner he was rubbing my leg and I didn't know until then that it was a turn on spot for me. I think he's gonna keep teasing me", Ashleigh finished.

"That's not very nice", Hermione frowned. "If I were you, I wouldn't let him tease you. I'd either tease him back or just have sex with him already", Hermione told her.

"I want to. But I'm afraid too", Ashleigh sighed.

"Don't be. I was terrified, but it wasn't that bad. Just take it slow to adjust to it and then do whatever you want", Hermione told her.

"I'm more afraid of him seeing my body", Ashleigh said sheepishly.

"Don't be. I'm pretty sure every girl is afraid of that. But I don't think George will care or comment, he's not that thick. He loves you, for you and seeing you naked won't change that", Hermione continued the pep talk.

"Maybe you're right", Ashleigh sighed.

"I know I'm right. Trust me. It doesn't have to be now or next month, do it when you feel you're ready. But trust me, you'll enjoy it. And if you're worried about being terrible at it, don't forget, George is a virgin too", Hermione reminded her. Ashleigh giggled a little and nodded. They opened the bathroom door only to find George standing there with a stupid grin on his face. "You were not eavesdropping", Hermione sighed, smacking him.

"Sorry", he said looking to the floor. Ashleigh looked to the floor and ran upstairs to Ginny's room.

"Now look what you did. She's embarrassed enough about it George", Hermione whispered.

"I said I was sorry", he whispered back.

"Well sorry isn't gonna fix it", Hermione snapped and ran upstairs to Ginny's room as well.

"What did you do to piss Hermione off this time?" Fred asked.

"I kinda eavesdropped on a conversation she and Ashleigh were having in the bathroom. And then proceeded to get caught", George told his twin.

"Dumb move brother George, dumb move", Fred said, shaking his head.

"I know", George sighed.

Up in Ginny's room, Ashleigh was sitting on her cot with tears running down her cheeks when Hermione walked in.

"Hey, why're you crying?" Hermione asked.

"Because it seems like he just takes the whole sex and virginity thing like a joke, eavesdropping on an obviously private conversation like that", Ashleigh told her angrily.

"I already scolded him about it. But I don't think he takes it as a joke, I think he's just as weary about it as you are", Hermione told her. Ashleigh looked at her for a minute to see if she was lying. "I'm not lying", Hermione said when she realized what Ashleigh was trying to do.

"I know, I can tell. I dunno what I'm gonna do. But being here, I can't be upset over it because Mrs. Weasley will figure it out and probably ground George and forbid him from seeing me", Ashleigh laughed a little at the thought.

"Let's clean your face and then go back downstairs", Hermione smiled, handing Ashleigh tissues. Once she was cleaned up, they went back downstairs, but Ashleigh avoided George and sat with Hermione on the sofa. George knew he screwed up, yet again but hopefully she wouldn't be mad for too long.


	23. Sensitive Subject

Ashleigh avoided George for the next few days, until he cornered her in Ginny's room.

"Look, I know that eavesdropping wasn't a good idea. I don't know why I did it. I'm sorry for embarrassing you by listening to that conversation", George told her as she tried to get out of the room.

"You're not coming out until you talk to him", Hermione said through the door. Hermione had used a rope and tied the doorknob to the twin's room's doorknob, so they were unable to open the door. Since they were underage, Hermione couldn't use a spell to lock them in. Ashleigh groaned. "I'm leaving but this door won't open without my say so", Hermione told her. Ashleigh heard foots steps as they faded away.

"Fine", she mumbled, sitting on her cot.

"Thank you", George said, sitting beside her. "I really am sorry. I'm not going to pressure you into doing something you don't want to. And I'm not taking it as a joke", she gave him a look. "Hermione yelled at me again and that came out", he told her. She nodded. "I know for girls it's probably scary and intimidating, but for guys who haven't done it, it is for them too. Whether you want to believe it or not", George told her. She just raised her eyebrows at him.

"George Weasley; scared and intimidated by something?" She asked.

"Believe it or not, yes", he said, looking into her eyes. She could tell he was being sincere. She always had a knack for reading people through their body language but mostly their eyes. "I would _never_ push you into doing something you're not comfortable with", he told her, still looking into her eyes. She looked to the floor for a few minutes.

"Thank you", she said quietly turning her head and latching her lips to his. There was a knock on the door and it opened.

"I don't hear any yelling-", Hermione stopped mid-sentence when she saw the two. "I guess that answers my question", she giggled as they broke apart. "You guys are good then?"

"Yes. Thank you Hermione", Ashleigh smiled getting up and giving Hermione a tight hug.

"Anything for a friend", Hermione said hugging her back. They all went downstairs and everyone noticed a different mood between George and Ashleigh. Fred knew they worked it out and was happy for them. No one else knew exactly what was wrong, but they were happy to see the two near each other again.

"So why were you avoiding each other over the past four days?" Molly asked curiously. Ashleigh blushed and hid her face while Fred grinned. George shook his head subtly at him telling him not to say anything. Fred laughed, catching everyone's attention. Molly raised her eyebrows.

"The whole _sex_ subject", he said. Molly spat out the sip of tea she had just taken.

"I'll kill you Fred!" George yelled and got up to chase his brother. Molly grabbed his wrist and made him sit back down.

"You guys are too young for that! I will not have one of my sons taking advantage of a young lady", Molly said sternly.

"I haven't mum! I swear", George said. Ashleigh nodded her head, still blushing.

"I certainly hope not", she said, staring at her son.

"But maybe you should lecture Fred about that one", George said as an afterthought. Molly's head whipped around so fast, they thought she'd get whiplash. It was Hermione's turn to blush and Fred's turn to be mad at George. "Payback's a bitch brother", George said.

"Fred, you haven't!?" Molly yelled. "I thought I raised better men than that. Taking advantage of a young lady like that", Molly said.

"I didn't take advantage of her", Fred said.

"It was my idea", Hermione said, her face going even redder. That caught Molly off guard, but she was still upset that her son went along with it.

"You did think beforehand and used contraceptive, right?" She asked, her look softening a little.

"Mum!" Fred yelled. "Must we talk about this in front of the entire family?" He asked. She just stared at him. "Yes, we did! Happy?" He asked.

"About that bit, yes. The fact that you did anything, not so much", Molly told him.

"Besides Fred, we talked about all of this in the common room, remember?" Ginny laughed. "That's worse than the family knowing that you finally swiped your v-card", she laughed after seeing how red his face went.

"Okay, that's enough", Molly tried scolding, but she too, couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks mum", Fred mumbled and left the room. Hermione followed him.

"I'm sorry, but that was the best reaction yet", George laughed. "Teasing him for two months has finally paid off", he grinned and leaned his back against the sofa and put an arm around Ashleigh.

"Well you two better not follow in his footsteps any time soon", Molly told them, causing Ashleigh to blush again.

"Yeah, yeah mum", George waived her off. She looked sternly at him before getting up and leaving.

"I'm going to bed, see you guys in the morning", she said kissing everyone atop their heads.

"Night", everyone chimed back at her as Arthur followed her.

"Don't be so loud tonight either!" George yelled after her.

"George Weasley, I will murder you myself!" Molly yelled back as the room erupted with laughter.

Upstairs in the twins' room, Fred and Hermione were sitting on his bed quietly. Neither knowing what to say to the other.

"Well, that was embarrassing", Fred mumbled.

"Yes, it was. But at least it's done now, right?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think it will ever be done. They'll never let us live it down. I don't even know why I feel embarrassed. At least I beat George to it", he smirked.

"It's not a race. Ashleigh is very self-conscious and he's being a gentlemen, not pushing her into doing things she doesn't want to do and isn't comfortable with", Hermione told him.

"I know, you're right".

"I'm _always_ right", Hermione smirked, earning a glare from Fred. They heard George yell to Molly about not being loud and they roared with laughter. "At least he's not just poking fun at us", Hermione smiled.

"True enough", Fred agreed.

"Anyway, I'm going to bed. Goodnight", Hermione said, giving Fred a goodnight kiss.

"Goodnight love", he smiled.

Hermione went across the hall to Ginny's room and both Ashleigh and Ginny were already there. She blushed when she saw the looks they were giving her.

"Will you two stop embarrassing me?" Hermione asked, getting her pyjamas on.

"I don't think we can do that", Ginny laughed.

"No. It's too rich", Ashleigh said, joining Ginny's laughter.

"Oh whatever. I can't wait until you two lose it. Then it'll be mine and Fred's turn to make fun of you", Hermione said as she crawled into bed.

"Only if you find out", Ginny pointed out, Ashleigh nodding in agreement. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned over to fall asleep.

Across the hall the jokes hadn't seemed to die down. "George, I will seriously kill you in your sleep", Fred said as they both got into bed, in just their pyjama pants.

"No, you won't. You love me to much", George smiled.

"Not anymore", Fred mumbled, turning out the light. "You better sleep with one or both eyes open", he warned.


	24. Giving It Up

The Christmas festivities were in full swing and Molly made a huge feast for Christmas dinner and invited Tracie and Ethan over as well.

"So how are you liking Hogwarts Ethan?" Molly asked. "You're Gryffindor, right?"

"Yes. I love it, it's so awesome. I don't see any of them much because they're so much older. But I made some new friends", Ethan told her.

"That's good. Do you have good grades?" She asked, smiling.

"Yeah, pretty good", he smiled back. "No detentions yet either. Unlike them two", Ethan pointed at Fred and George laughing as they snickered at him.

"Yes, well. Never take after the twins. That will take you down a dark road", Molly told him. Fred and George's jaws dropped and they looked at Molly.

"Gee, thanks mum", Fred said.

Everyone laughed at them as they dug into their Christmas dinner. After dinner they decided to go have a snowball fight, every man and woman for themselves this year instead of teams. The couples all decided to go with each other, Harry and Ginny stuck together, Fred and Hermione stuck together as did George and Ashleigh. They played in the snow for a couple hours before they all got too cold and went inside where Molly and Tracie had snacks and hot chocolate waiting for them.

"Thanks", they all chimed, sitting down in the living room.

"You're welcome", both women smiled. They all sat there eating there snacks.

They enjoyed all of the food that Molly had prepared and it was soon time for bed.

A few days passed, bringing it to December 30th, the day before New Year's Eve. Everyone got up for breakfast and declared it to be a lazy day. George subtly passed Ashleigh a note under the table. She got up to go to the bathroom so she could read it.

 _Meet me in the hall outside our rooms at 1:00am as long as the girls are sleeping._

 _George_

She smiled and hid the note in her pocket. She walked back out and nodded slightly when she sat down. They all finished breakfast and just lounged around in the sitting room all day, just chatting.

By 1:00am Ginny and Hermione were out cold and snoring. She snuck out of the room and George was standing there smirking. He looked at her, he had never seen her in her pyjamas which consisted of a baby blue tank top and baby blue flannel pyjama pants. He had never seen her wear a tank top before either. She realized why he was staring and looked down, she forgot her robe. She went to turn around but he grabbed her.

"No, I'm sorry. I was just surprised, I've never seen you in anything less than mid-sleeve tops", he told her.

"Okay", she mumbled. "So, what did you want me for?" She asked. He grabbed her and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

"I want your help pranking Fred", he whispered.

"How?" She asked.

"I'm going to levitate him into Ginny's room and put him on the floor right beside Hermione's bed. But I need you to make sure the girls don't start to wake up and if they do, let me know", he told her.

"Okay. This sounds like it'll be interesting", Ashleigh smiled.

She opened both bedroom doors wide and George levitated Fred out of his bed. Ashleigh watched to make sure the girls were still out cold. She nodded as he levitated Fred into the hall and through Ginny's bedroom door. He gently placed Fred on the floor beside Hermione's bed, head at the same end hers was. Once he was done, he grabbed Ashleigh's hand and pulled her out of the room, quietly shutting the door.

"Stay with me for a bit", he whispered. She nodded and they went into his room. He turned on a bedside lamp on Fred's side of the room, on the dimmest setting, so they weren't in complete darkness. He had thrown a t-shirt on when he was pulling his prank as he was a little cold, but once Ashleigh was sat on the bed, he pulled his shirt off, "You don't mind, do you?" He asked. She numbly shook her head as she eyed his toned chest and stomach, he didn't have any hair on his chest or stomach. He laid on the bed beside her. "Get a good look?" He smirked. Her face went instantly red so she turned her head away from him.

George laughed a little but then made her lie down beside him and look at him. "Will you not make it your life's mission to embarrass me?" She asked quietly, still blushing.

"I'm sorry", he said, kissing her.

"That's okay. At least it wasn't in front of your whole family this time", she said. He nodded. "So why did you want me to stay here?"

"I wanted some alone time with you. And pranking Fred was just a bonus", he smirked. "We haven't properly spent time together alone since that day in your room at your aunts", he told her.

"I guess it was", she said after she thought about it. George pulled the covers over the two of them and they laid there quietly for a little bit, neither one tired enough to fall asleep. "Won't we get in trouble if they know I slept in here?" She asked.

"I don't care. My mum can't tell me who I can and can't sleep next too", George told her. She thought about it for a minute and decided he was right. So she got comfy and put her head on his chest and rested her hand on his toned stomach. Last time they laid like that was at her house and he had a shirt on, so she didn't feel what she was feeling now. She subconsciously started making circles on his stomach with her fingers. He laughed a little.

"What?" She asked.

"You're tickling me", he said pointing to her fingers.

"Oh, sorry", she said sheepishly.

"It's okay, I kinda liked it", he smirked. She continued making circles and he giggled a little more.

"Did you know, you're kinda hot", she smirked, looking up at him.

"So I've been told", he laughed. She raised her eyebrows. "None of those comments have ever meant anything… Until now", he smiled.

"Good", she said, resuming drawing circles.

"But you're kinda hot too ya know", he laughed when she froze. "What's wrong?" He asked as she stayed still.

"I've never been called that before. I guess it just sounds weird and surprised me", Ashleigh told him.

"Well, believe it. Because it's true", he smiled, kissing the top of her head. She scooted up the bed and laid her head on his pillow against the side of his head and resumed drawing circles, but on his chest now.

"I think I might", she sighed. It was all still so weird to her. Having someone call her beautiful or hot, saying he loved her, she hoped she would get used to it soon.

"Good", he smirked kissing her cheek and leaving a trail of kisses down to her neck where he lingered. She let slip a moan but quickly covered her mouth with her hands. He laughed a little and just looked at her. "Someone is getting turned on", he smirked again.

"No, no I'm not", she tried denying as she blushed.

"It's okay if you are. Because I am", he whispered and pointed to her fingers drawing circles. This prompted her to stop and put her hand on her side. "Hey, I didn't say stop", he laughed. "Just because it's turning me on, doesn't mean I'm gonna act on it", he told her.

"But what if I want to?" She whispered so quietly he didn't hear her.

"Sorry?" George asked.

"But what if I want to?" She repeated a little louder. He looked at her, a little shocked.

"I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with or might regret tomorrow", he told her.

"I don't think I will regret it and if we take it slow, I think I could get comfortable with it", she told him, looking into his eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking back into her eyes to see if there was any hesitation. She nodded and sat up.

"First", she said, pulling off her tank top. George's eyes almost bugged out of his head. She always wore such loose clothes; he didn't realize how big her chest was until now. She giggled at his reaction. "Never seen any up close?" She asked. He shook his head and stared a little longer, causing her to blush and laugh. Her laugh brought him back down to earth. He smiled weakly out of embarrassment as she laid back down. "You can touch them if you want", she laughed at his expression. He hesitated so she grabbed his hands and placed them on her chest.

"Kinda squishy", he muttered under his breath, but Ashleigh started laughing hard and he knew she heard him. He blushed, "Sorry".

"Don't be. It's your first time touching breasts, I thought the same thing when I first developed them", she laughed and leaned in to kiss him. He met her in the middle. After a minute he deepened the kiss, running his tongue on her bottom lip, asking for entrance, which she granted. Ashleigh wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him closer to her. George laid Ashleigh on her back and leaned over top of her, not breaking the kiss.

"Wait, silence charm and contraceptive", she said, handing George his wand. He cast Muffliato on the room and a contraceptive charm on them. She then pulled him back into the kiss.

George met her eyes, "Are you sure you're ready?" He asked, out of breath.

"Never been more ready", she smiled, so he lowered himself on top of her. He heard her gasp a little which made him stop. "No, it's okay. Keep going", she said.

They finished after an hour and George collapsed on the bed beside Ashleigh, both sweaty and panting. They laid there in silence for a bit before Ashleigh had to use the washroom. She got up, got dressed and left the room. While she was gone George undid the Muffliato charm and pulled his boxers and pyjama pants back on. He could feel a bit of stinging on his back and knew she had clawed him which made him chuckle to himself. He laid back on the bed and waited for Ashleigh to return. She came back ten minutes later and laid down beside him. He put his arms around her and she rested her head and hand on his chest.

"I can't believe we just did that", Ashleigh said quietly.

"Me either. But that was definitely worth the wait", George said, smiling.

"It was", Ashleigh agreed, smiling. "I love you George", she whispered.

"I love you too Ashleigh", he whispered back. They laid there cuddling and both eventually drifted off to sleep.


	25. Cat's Out of The Bag

The next morning brought it to New Year's Eve day. Ashleigh and George were woken with a start as they heard Fred yell "Bloody hell!" They looked at each other and jumped out of bed. George pulled on a shirt and they opened the door and went to Ginny's room.

"Fred, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were there", they heard Hermione say. They opened the door and laughed at the site of Fred holding his crotch with a look of agony on his face.

"What the hell are you doing in here anyway?" Ginny asked, trying not to laugh.

"I dunno! I remember falling asleep in my bed and then being woken up getting stomped in the balls!" He yelled. George and Ashleigh started laughing. "It was you two!" Fred yelled.

"Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" George asked Ashleigh.

"Nope, no clue", she laughed.

"What is going on?" Ron and Harry asked coming up to the door. They started laughing at the site of Fred.

"Fred here, seems to have been stomped in the bollocks by Hermione", George laughed.

"How did that happen?" Harry asked, trying to contain his laughter.

"Again, I dunno. I fell asleep in my bed and woke up here when Hermione went to get out of bed, she stomped on the floor, only it wasn't the floor", Fred told them. They all started laughing. "I know it was you two. And I'll get you back", He snarled, pointing at George and Ashleigh. They just kept laughing at his expense. They all headed downstairs and Molly asked what the ruckus was about. They explained and started laughing again, both Molly and Arthur laughed, which caused Fred to get angrier. "You two aren't supposed to laugh at your child's pain", he grumbled, sitting down for breakfast.

"I'm sorry Fred. But it is kinda funny", Molly laughed, Arthur agreeing.

"Some parents you are", Fred mumbled and silently ate his breakfast. George grabbed some ice and handed it to Fred.

"You might need those so you might wanna ice them", he laughed. This caused everyone to laugh at him again.

"George, I will seriously kill you. What has gotten into you, we prank and joke together, now you're against me", Fred mock pouted.

"Sorry bro, I just get good ideas that I need to put into action and you're always at the receiving end", George told him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Whatever", he grumbled and finished eating.

A few hours later and everyone except Molly and Arthur were sitting in the living room. Molly and Arthur had gone to Diagon Alley for a day out away from the chaos. No one blamed them. Ashleigh and George were sitting on the large sofa next to Fred and Hermione. The twins being together in the middle.

"So seriously, how did you end up in our room?" Ginny asked Fred. George and Ashleigh looked at each other and started laughing.

"I knew it was you two", Fred said, glaring daggers at them.

"George levitated him once all three of you were out cold. I made sure you two didn't wake up to ruin our plan", Ashleigh told them. They all laughed and high fived them. When George leaned forward Fred noticed something at the top of his back. "What's that?" He asked George.

"What's what?" George asked, confused.

"On your back".

"I dunno. I don't think I have anything on my back Fred", George said, still genuinely confused. Ashleigh did her best to look confused and normal, hoping Fred would drop it. But George stupidly stood up and lifted up his shirt. Everyone burst into laughter.

"Georgie's back is all scratched up!" Fred yelled. "I wonder why", he added and looked knowingly at Ashleigh. Ashleigh shrunk back into the couch cushions while George looked in the mirror on the wall.

"I seriously have no idea where I got those", George said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, sure you don't", Fred said sarcastically.

"I'm being serious", George said examining the scratches as best as he could. Ashleigh was surprised he was able to keep such a straight face.

"I'll get it out of Ashleigh tonight", Hermione smiled.

"No you won't. There's nothing to tell", Ashleigh told them with a straight face. She was impressed with herself.

"We'll see", Hermione laughed.

"Where'd that hicky come from then?" Fred asked, pointing to Ashleigh's neck. She tried to pull her shirt up but Fred jumped over and pulled it down a bit to show everyone else.

"A hicky doesn't mean we slept together", Ashleigh told him, glaring at George. He smirked at her.

Arthur and Molly arrived home around dinner time, so Molly whipped up a quick meal, which consisted of soup and sandwiches. No one complained. Hermione couldn't wait to corner Ashleigh later on and find out if she was the reason for George's scratches. After dinner, Ashleigh ran up to Ginny's room to hide from Hermione. Unfortunately, Hermione saw her escape and followed her.

"Damn, I didn't think you saw me", Ashleigh sighed when Hermione walked in and closed the door.

"Well I did. Now spill chicky", Hermione said, sitting down on her cot.

"There's nothing to spill, for the millionth time", Ashleigh told her.

"Oh come off it Ashleigh. We know why you pulled that prank on Fred, to get the room to yourselves", Hermione said.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean anything happened", Ashleigh told her.

"That's true. But I know better. And I know the way I looked after and you could tell right away. I can do the same thing", Hermione told her.

"Fine!" Ashleigh finally broke. "Yes. Okay? Yes. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Exactly what I wanted to hear", Hermione squealed. "I want details", she said, sitting beside Ashleigh.

"Only if you promise not to tell Fred. Please?" Ashleigh asked.

"Okay, I won't. But I think he'll manage to break George down", Hermione told her.

"Thank you. Now what details?" Ashleigh asked.

"Size? How long? Good or bad?" Hermione rushed out.

"Big in both ways", Ashleigh blushed. "Just over an hour and amazing", she blushed deeper.

"That's longer than Fred and I", Hermione said. "I'm happy that you came out of your shell and got comfortable. But when I gave you that talk, I didn't mean for you to do it now", Hermione told her.

"I know. But last night after levitating Fred we were just gonna lie in bed and sleep but then we were talking and I kinda said he was hot and he returned the favor. Then he kissed my neck and I discovered that was another turn on spot, which I assume is for most people. But I shied away and was absent mindedly drawing circles on his chest and stomach so he said don't be embarrassed about being turned on, because he was too", Ashleigh told her.

"That's funny", Hermione giggled. Ashleigh was happy to have a girlfriend who she could talk to about stuff like this.

Over in Fred and George's room, Fred laughed when George took his shirt off to change and he saw the scratches again.

"You do realize that I know _exactly_ where those came from?" Fred laughed.

" _I_ don't know. So how could you?" George asked, still managing to keep a straight face.

"Oh shut up George. We're not daft" Fred said, flopping down on his bed and started laughing. "Especially, when there's a pair of lacy panties under your bed", Fred burst out laughing and lunged to grab them before George could.

"How do I know that those aren't Hermione's and you planted them there?" George asked, knowing full well that they belonged to Ashleigh.

"They could belong to Hermione. But if her and Ashleigh are sharing panties, that's just weird", Fred continued laughing.

"Okay, enough. Give me those", George said, grabbing them from him. He couldn't handle Fred twirling them on his finger anymore.

"Busted!" He said in a singsong voice.

"Whatever", George rolled his eyes and walked across the hall. He knocked on the door and Hermione answered.

"So I hear you've joined the land of the men", Hermione laughed as she let George in and shut the door. He stopped and looked at Ashleigh.

"Sorry", she said quietly, looking to the floor.

"Not as sorry as I am. Fred found these under my bed", George said holding the panties up.

"Oh my god!" She screamed. Blushing violently she grabbed them from George and put them in with the dirty laundry.

"I guess the cats out of the bag", George said wrapping his arms around Ashleigh.

"Definitely is", Hermione agreed.


	26. Prank on the Twins

That night Molly, of course, made another giant feast, inviting Tracie and Ethan over again for the festivities.

"It's almost midnight!" Molly yelled to everyone so they could go to the back garden to watch fireworks the eldest Weasley sons set up. Everyone came outside in their winter coats and counted down.

"10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!" Everyone shouted as the fireworks went off.

"Happy New year and happy anniversary", George smiled, kissing Ashleigh. Harry kissed Ginny and Fred kissed Hermione.

"Happy new year and happy anniversary", Ashleigh smiled after he pulled away. She pulled him back in for another kiss, since it's two occasions for them.

"Okay, break-it up. Young child in the room", Molly said to all the kissing couples.

"Yeah, child in the room", Ethan repeated, pointing to himself.

"Just wait little man", Fred winked.

"Nope. Girls are still gross", Ethan said and ran as Fred and George started chasing him.

Everyone went back inside to the living room and chatted for a little bit.

"Oh, Fred. How're the twins doing?" George asked, laughing at Fred's expression.

"Fine, no thanks to you, Ashleigh or my girlfriend", Fred said.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault", Hermione said. "I didn't know you were there".

"Next time, look before you stomp", Fred told her. Tracie looked a little confused so Molly explained.

"Last night Ashleigh and George decided it would be fun to levitate Fred into the girls' room when they were all sleeping. They placed him beside Hermione's bed on the floor and when she got up she went to step on the floor, only Fred's lower region was in between", Molly explained, Tracie realizing what she meant.

"Ashleigh, you were in on this?" Tracie asked.

"Maybe. But it was funny. Even his own parents laughed", Tracie looked at Molly and Arthur and they shrugged. "You really had to be there. Besides, I'm sure they're in working order. George gave him some ice", Ashleigh said, laughing. "But we'll have to ask Hermione that one".

"Ashleigh!" Hermione shrieked as her face went red. Everyone laughed at Hermione's face, even the adults.

"What? You're the one who didn't hide your sexual exploits well enough", Ashleigh said, causing Hermione to blush and Ashleigh to get a smack from Tracie. "Ow, jeez", she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's all just fun and games", George laughed. "We've been making fun of them for a while now". He finished.

"I'm glad you've come out of your shell, but it's not very nice", Tracie scolded Ashleigh.

"I know Aunt Tracie. We're just joking around and they make fun of us for things too. It's how our friendships work", Ashleigh explained.

"Okay, fine. But don't be so harsh all the time. But we've gotta go. It's way past Ethan's bedtime", Tracie said, giving them all hugs and heading to the fireplace.

"Yes, we all should head up to bed too", Molly instructed. They bade their goodbyes to Tracie and Ethan and went upstairs.

"Once Ginny's asleep, you and Ashleigh come to our room", Fred whispered to Hermione, who nodded.

The girls talked for a little bit until Ginny finally fell asleep.

Ashleigh and Hermione quietly walked over to the twins' room and knocked. There was no answer so they slowly walked into their room. The stifled their laughter at the fact that the twins had fallen asleep. They poked the boys to make sure they were sleeping. Nothing.

They got two bowls of warm water and placed a hand from each twin in it. They weren't sure if this prank would work, but ten minutes later, they both peed themselves. They got rid of the bowls and went back to the twins' room trying to stifle their laughter. They closed the door and stood beside the beds, counting to three.

"Guys!" They whisper yelled, pulling them halfway out of bed by their legs. They both jolted awake and looked around.

"Um… You peed the bed", Ashleigh told George pointing.

"Ew, you did to Fred", Hermione said, sounding grossed out.

"What?" They both said, looking down.

"I haven't peed the bed since I was in nappies!" Fred said, jumping up.

"Me either", George said getting up to go clean up. The boys stood there for a few minutes, completely confused as to how they both peed the bed. By that point the girls couldn't contain their laughter.

"What did you do?" Fred asked, looking at the girls.

"Nothing. We just think it's hilarious", Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, sure", George said, taking the sheets off his bed. They both put new sheets on their beds and grabbed a new set of pyjama pants, leaving the room to clean up.

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short; it's really just a filler.**


	27. Taking It To Far

"I don't think they'd figure it out because it's a muggle prank", Hermione whispered.

"I know. That's what's so great about it", Ashleigh laughed. George came back a few minutes later in new pyjama pants and grabbed Ashleigh. He threw her onto the bed and started tickling her. Fred came in a few minutes after that and did the same to Hermione.

"We know you did something", George said.

"Now tell us what", Fred added as the girls tried to get away and not scream.

"Nothing. We. Did. Nothing." Ashleigh gasped, out of breath.

"Liar liar pants on fire", George said, still tickling her.

"Can't. Breathe", she gasped. George still didn't stop so Ashleigh did the next best thing. Held her breath and stopped moving. Fred was still tickling Hermione when she noticed Ashleigh stopped moving.

"Get off me!" She yelled. "Something's wrong", she said. George had already stopped and was trying to get Ashleigh to wake up.

"I did not just kill my girlfriend", George said, freaking out.

"Gotcha!" Ashleigh said, jumping up.

"You're a terrible influence George. Now she's pranking us left, right and center", Fred said, sitting down on his bed. George just stared at Ashleigh for a minute before regaining his speech.

"Don't do that!" He yelled. "I seriously thought I'd killed you", he said, sitting beside Fred.

"I think I'm gonna have to now", Hermione glared at Ashleigh.

"Sorry, but he wouldn't stop. And I really couldn't breathe so I had to do something", Ashleigh tried reasoning.

"Not cool", George mumbled.

"Awe, sorry baby", she sweet talked, walking over to sit on his lap. He moved away from her. She just stood there staring at him. "Fine", she said and went and sat on Fred's lap instead. Hermione knew it was just innocent and she wasn't the jealous type so she just sat on George's bed and watched in amusement.

"Very funny", George mumbled. Ashleigh raised her eyebrows at him. Fred clued in and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. Ashleigh leaned into him and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the expression on George's face.

"Wait, how has no one heard us yell?" Hermione asked, realizing no one had come to see if someone was dead.

"Muffliato", George mumbled. Hermione nodded her head.

"Oh cheer up", Hermione said, she got up and sat on George's lap. "You're the one who wouldn't let her sit on your lap", Hermione reminded him.

"Did we just do a total 180?" Ashleigh laughed.

"I think so", Hermione said.

"I think we should switch Freddie, whaddya say?"

"I think so Georgie", Fred smirked at the looks on the girls' faces.

"Well, from what I've heard about you, I'd say I'd prefer to stay with George. If you know what I mean", Ashleigh winked. Fred's jaw dropped and he looked at Hermione.

"Hermione?" Fred asked. She couldn't hold in the laugh that escaped her lips as a blush crept up her face.

"Nothing important", she said. Both boys raised their eyebrows at the girls. The boys stood up and dropped the girls to the floor.

"Ow", they both said as they stood back up.

"That was rude", Hermione said with her arms crossed across her chest. Her and Ashleigh went and crawled under the blankets on George's bed. The pulled the blankets over their heads and were whispering.

"Oh come on. No secrets in our room", Fred said from across the room.

"Fine. I was just telling Hermione, that I got the bigger _and_ better looking twin", Ashleigh smirked.

"Hurtful", Fred said, pretending to cry.

"Awe babe, don't cry. You're satisfying enough for me", Hermione smiled. This caused him to look up and smirk at her.

"No worries, from what I hear from Georgie, Ashleigh is quite squishy", Fred grinned.

"Fred!" George yelled, tackling him to the bed. "That was private information". Hermione just had an utterly confused look on her face.

"My chest Hermione".

"Ohhh", she said as realization hit her. "Wait, squishy George, _really_?"

"Well it was either that or jublees", George said.

"Why are we talking about my breasts?" Ashleigh asked the room.

"Apparently because they're squishy", Hermione giggled.

"I know they are, alright? But I wish I got a picture of his expression when he saw them", Ashleigh laughed. George blushed and threw a pillow at her.

"Well, he had never seen boobs before", Fred said, defending his brother.

"How would you know that?" George asked.

"Because you would've bragged about it", Fred said.

"True, true".

"Fred, you were no better. But at least the word _squishy_ didn't leave your mouth", Hermione said.

"No. But it was in my mind", Fred laughed.

"So, off of my breasts", Ashleigh said. "I wasn't kidding when I said I had the bigger twin… In many ways", Ashleigh winked.

"So this is what they talk about behind our backs", George sighed as he tried to hide his blush.

"And it's pretty insulting, I might add", Fred said, looking at Hermione.

"How was I supposed to know that when I talked to her?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, we're girls. Trust me, all of my girlfriends know", Ashleigh laughed at both of their faces. "Just joking".

They decided to call a truce as they figured they'd embarrassed the boys enough for one night. George reluctantly went back to his bed and Hermione joined Fred on his. Ashleigh moved forward and let George sit with his back against the headrest, she moved to sit between his legs, but he was reluctant.

"I'm sorry", Ashleigh said, leaning over to kiss him, but she only got his cheek. "I never meant to hurt your feelings; it's just what girls do. We talk about things like this all the time. As for my joking tonight, I might've went a little too far and I'm sorry", she said trying to get him to look at her.

"Fred, you're not gonna act like him, are you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm a little hurt by it. But George has always been the more sensitive one, so things get to him quicker", Fred told her. Hermione nodded and laid beside Fred on his bed. A few minutes later, Ashleigh got up and left the room. Hermione looked at Fred and got up.

"George, don't be an idiot. We were joking around and it got out of hand. After all, we do sleep with you two. Yes, we talk, but as she rightly pointed out, she got the bigger one", Hermione told him.

"Hurtful", she heard Fred say.

"I'm sorry, you're perfect for me but this knuckle head needs to realize that we were just playing", Hermione told Fred and he nodded. "Trust me, she feels bad enough. But you're making it worse", Hermione told him and went back over to Fred's bed.

"Just go after her mate. Or you'll be single on your anniversary just as quick as you became an item", Fred told him. George sighed and sat there for a few minutes. He finally got up after the other two stared at him for ten minutes. "There ya go", Fred smiled.

George walked across the hall and poked his head in Ginny's room, but Ashleigh wasn't in there. He walked around the house, looking for her quietly. He finally made it to the sitting room but she wasn't there either. He went back upstairs.

"I can't find her", George said.

"What do you mean?" Fred asked.

"I mean, she's gone. I looked everywhere in the house, even the bathroom. She's not here".


	28. Depression Takes Over

"Do you think she went outside?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno. It's bloody cold out, so if she did, she won't last long out there", George said, pulling on a thick jumper and heading down to go outside. Fred and Hermione followed. They went outside and looked around, but still no sign. "Where the hell would she have gone?" George asked, getting worried now.

"Maybe she went to her Aunt's. Does your mum have floo powder?" Hermione asked.

"She always does", Fred said.

"I'm gonna go see if she's there", George said. He ran to the fireplace and shouted the address of where he wanted to go. It was dark in Tracie's living room and he walked into a table. "Ow. Dammit". He lit his wand and found his way to the stairs. He quietly walked up the stairs and to the end of the hall where Ashleigh's room was.

He walked into her room and over to the bed. He shone the light down and saw a lump under the covers. He lifted the covers slightly, only for the person to grab them and pull them back down. "Leave me alone", he heard Ashleigh mumble.

"Ashleigh, it's me", George said.

"Then definitely leave me alone", she said and turned over under the covers. George ripped the covers right off the bed so she had to look at him. "I said go away, I'm trying to sleep", she said sternly.

"And I'm trying to apologize, if you'd just look at me", George told her.

"You made it clear you didn't want to talk to me or be near me when you kept refusing to let me touch you. And I get the feeling that it's not just because of the jokes that were said tonight", she told him.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"If you find me repulsive now that you got what you wanted, just say the word", she snapped. He just stood there staring at her.

"Why would I find you repulsive?" He asked.

"Because _everyone_ does. You finally got to lose your virginity so now you can leave me alone", she said grabbing the covers from the floor.

"No, we're not done talking", he said, trying to grab the covers from her.

"Yes we are, we're just over. Just please leave", she said, finally breaking down. He sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around her as she was overcome with sobs. She pushed him away and pulled the covers around her. "Go". He sat there for a few minutes longer.

"Just remember, I love you and it was never about sex. And…You're beautiful", George said leaving. He flooed back to The Burrow where he found Fred and Hermione sitting on the couch waiting for him. "She was there", he told them, sitting down on the couch.

"And?" Hermione asked.

"She broke up with me", Fred and Hermione gasped.

"What, why?" Fred asked.

"She's under the impression that the way I acted tonight is because I find her repulsive and used her for sex", George told them.

"That's ridiculous. Even the village idiot would be able to tell you really care for her by the way you look at her", Fred stated. George looked at Hermione and nodded his head at her unasked question. "Did I miss something?" Fred asked after seeing their silent exchange.

"Ashleigh suffers from depression Fred. She always puts herself down, thinks others find her to be certain ways, in this case repulsive. She's had it for years, a lot of it because she was always bullied at school, until she came here. Except for Malfoy. It got worse after her parents died", George explained.

"That explains a lot", Fred said, sitting beside his brother, who nodded his head. "How has she been coping?" Fred asked.

"I can't talk about that. I promised her I wouldn't. But she was on medication that she stopped taking because it made her sleepy all day and she was hardly ever with it", George explained. "So I told her to come talk to me if she ever felt down or alone. Then I go and screw up like this. I should've known that it might trigger something and talked to her when she apologized, but I'm the new village idiot", George told them. "I'm really afraid of what she might do", George looked at Hermione. "Can you go make sure she's okay? She'll talk to you".

"Of course. I'll see you guys later. Love you", Hermione said to Fred and flooed to Tracie's house. The room was still dark and she walked into the same table George did. "Goddammit", she said, rubbing her shin. She cast Lumos and found her way upstairs and to Ashleigh's bedroom.

Hermione went to the bed, but she wasn't there so she went to the bathroom and opened the door. Ashleigh was lying in a heap on the floor. There was blood all around her and Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. She grabbed a towel and kneeled down beside Ashleigh. She wrapped her wrists up and went to wake Tracie. She did it as quietly as she could, as to not wake Ethan.

They both ran into the bathroom, Tracie doing any spells she knew that would heal the deep wounds. "I used to be a healer", she told Hermione as she levitated Ashleigh over to her bed. "I had no idea her depression was this bad. I tried talking to her but she said she had you guys to talk to", Tracie sighed, putting Ashleigh on the bed. "What happened to make her do this?"

"Well our jokes got a little out of hand tonight so George got a little upset. She apologized to him but he wouldn't talk to her. So she left, we didn't know she'd come back here so we looked all over the place for her. Then George came here and found her. He tried talking to her because he realized he was being an idiot. But she broke up with him and refused to talk to him. So when he got back home he asked if I could come check on her and I found her like this", Hermione finished explaining.

"That's what I was worried about earlier. The jokes getting out of hand", Tracie sighed. "You're supposed to go back to Hogwarts in three days. I dunno if I can send her back like this. She needs help".

"Maybe Professor Dumbledore can have a councillor come to the school a few times a week", Hermione suggested.

"You know, that's a great idea. I'll send him an owl, first thing in the morning. Thanks Hermione. Are you staying or do you need to leave?" Tracie asked.

"I'm gonna stay, if that's okay with you", Hermione said.

"Of course. It'll be good for her to have a friend here when she wakes up. Thank you", Tracie smiled sadly and walked to the door. She turned off the light once Hermione was in bed and covered up.

"Do you think she's okay?" George asked his brother worriedly.

"Yes. I don't think she'd hurt herself", Fred said. But George knew something that he didn't know and that was that she has hurt herself before, not seriously but she still had. Fred saw the look on George's face. "George? Has she hurt herself?" He didn't answer, only looked to the floor. "Why didn't you say anything? She needs help George. More help than you could give her".

"No. She was fine, she hasn't done it since last summer when she finally talked to me and told me about her depression. When I told her if she ever feels down or lonely, to talk to me", George said as they walked up the stairs.

"I guess. But George, what if that isn't enough?" Fred asked.

"I dunno. But I'm hoping she'll forgive me and we can move on. I guess Hermione is staying over there", he added. They got to their room and climbed into bed.

 **A/N: Before anyone gets angry about what is in this chapter, I am definitely not trying to glorify depression or self-harm. I am simply bringing attention to it and showing that people who suffer like this need help and to not be afraid of talking to someone, there is no shame in asking for help. So whoever is reading this, if you suffer from depression, anxiety or even panic attacks, know you're not alone and please talk to someone, anyone.**

' _ **Depression, Anxiety & Panic Attacks are not a sign of weakness. They are signs of having tried to remain strong for so long'**_


	29. Lots of Tears

The next morning Ashleigh woke up and saw Hermione lying next to her. She groaned and wished Hermione hadn't come over. If she hadn't, the pain she felt would be gone. Hermione stirred and saw Ashleigh looking at her.

"How could you?" Hermione said. Ashleigh stayed quiet. "What about all of us who love you?" She added.

"You'd be better off if I succeeded".

SMACK

"Don't _ever_ say that Ashleigh! We would not", Hermione was fuming. "George was so upset when he came back last night and said he was worried about what you would do. So he asked me to come check on you. Imagine the horror of seeing one of my best friends lying in a puddle of her own blood!"

Silence.

"George loves you, I love you, all the Weasley's and Harry love you. Tracie and Ethan love you. What do you think would happen if I had to tell them you took your own life? It's not something I _ever_ want to see again", Hermione had tears rolling down her cheeks by this point, which also caused Ashleigh to cry. "You're lucky I found you when I did. I don't want to imagine what losing you would do to George. Or any of use for that matter", Hermione told her.

"We broke up. So he lost me anyway", Ashleigh mumbled.

"No. _You_ broke up with _him_ , for who knows why-"

"He got what he wanted. To lose his virginity. Why do you think he didn't want to touch me last night?"

"Because of our jokes! It hurt his feelings", Hermione said.

"And I apologized! He just sat there, not looking at me or talking to me and he refused to let me touch him".

"That's why Fred and I told him to go looking for you! We told him to fix it and he sure as hell wanted to. Not have his girlfriend try to kill herself because of him! How do you think that's gonna make him feel when he finds out?" Hermione asked.

"You can't tell him!" Ashleigh pleaded.

"I have to Ashleigh. He deserves to know how deeply troubled you are", Hermione said, tears still coming. "Your aunt doesn't wanna send you back to Hogwarts either", Hermione told her.

"What? She can't keep me here", Ashleigh said, shaking her head.

"Yes she can. She is your legal guardian. I told her that maybe Dumbledore will be able to have a councillor come to the castle a few times a week to talk to you", Hermione told her. "She said she was gonna owl him first thing this morning. But you need help. I'm sorry, but it's true", Hermione finished.

"I know I do. And I want it. Do you think I enjoy feeling like this every day? Hating myself because others hate me? I hate it, but I can't help it", Ashleigh started sobbing, harder than ever. Hermione wrapped her arms around her.

"I know, but we're going to get you help, we are", Hermione said.

"Hermione, can I speak with Ashleigh privately please?" Tracie asked from the door.

"Of course. I need to go to the Burrow to let them know I'm okay. Ashleigh, please fight this. Listen to your aunt and get some help. There is nothing wrong with asking for help", Hermione told her, getting up and walking out the door.

"Thank you ", Tracie said.

Hermione flooed back to the Burrow and was met with two sad faces, belonging to Fred and George. Fred grabbed her in a hug.

"Is she okay?" George asked.

"Um…" She started. She walked over to the couch and motioned for the boys to sit. "I'm only telling you this because you need to know that she needs help George. She really does. She…"

"What Hermione? Please tell me", George said. Hermione hung her head.

"She… Tried to take her life last night", Hermione finally got out. Both boys gasped and George hung his head.

"It's my fault. It's always my fault", he said, silent tears running down his cheeks. He got up and went upstairs to his room.

"What's wrong with George?" Molly asked as Fred was heading up to make sure he was alright.

"Later mum", Fred said and continued walking. He walked into their room and nearly crumbled at the site. George was laying curled into a tight ball on his bed, silently crying. Fred went over and sat beside him. "Hermione said she's going to be okay. Her aunt is going to get her some help George. People with these types of illnesses can never control when it hits or what triggers it", Fred explained.

"That doesn't change that it's my fault", George said.

"George, don't think like that. The more you think that, the more you'll believe it. You can't put this kind of blame on yourself", Fred said, feeling helpless.

"It's too late for that", George said pulling the covers over his head. Fred got up to leave. He stood at the door for a minute and heard George whispering. "I'm so sorry Ashleigh. I never meant to cause you this much pain, I love you". Fred now had tears sliding down his cheeks and he left the bedroom.

Back at Tracie's house, she had explained to Ashleigh that she had to see a councillor four times a week and take a potion that would help keep her depression at bay and hopefully she would feel better. A councillor would be going to Hogwarts four times a week to see Ashleigh and even have her friends sit in on some sessions if Ashleigh wanted them too. Tracie didn't think that was a bad idea, because it would give Ashleigh the chance to sort through some things with her friends and boyfriend.

"I'm sorry", Ashleigh cried, clutching a stuffed puppy that her mom gave her when she was younger. She was lying on the couch with her head in Tracie's lap. Tracie had sent Ethan to his friend's house for the day.

"Ashleigh, you can't control this or what triggers it. It's not your fault, life just isn't fair. It happens to the best of us. But we are getting you help and you will feel better soon", Tracie said, running her fingers through Ashleigh's hair.

"I hope so", Ashleigh mumbled, before drifting off to sleep, courtesy of the dreamless sleep potion her aunt gave her.

"Okay, I really need to know what is going on here", Molly said as she came into the living room and saw Fred crying and Hermione tearing up as they cuddled on the couch. "Fred, why on earth are you crying?" She asked.

"I feel so helpless", he told her.

"Helpless about what?"

"Georgie", was all he said.

"Why, what's going on?" Molly asked, concern growing on her face. They explained everything that had happened and what Ashleigh had done and Molly gasped. "That's terrible!" She shrieked.

"And now George is a wreck and blaming himself and I just feel helpless because I can't help him", Fred told his mum.

"He'll be okay. He will", Molly said. It sounded as though she was trying to convince herself more than them. Molly went upstairs to check on George. When she walked in, it broke her heart to see the state he was in. She walked over to the bed and sat down. She rubbed his back so he would know she was there.

"Mum?" He croaked.

"Yes. It's me, my poor boy", she said, shedding a few tears herself.

"What am I gonna do?" He asked quietly.

"Right now, you're gonna let me comfort you for as long as you need", she told him. Molly stayed upstairs with George for the majority of the day, even after he'd fallen asleep. She finally went back downstairs.

"How is he?" Fred asked.

"He's sleeping right now. He'll be okay. He's a strong boy; I think he just needs to see Ashleigh to know that she's okay. But I don't want to chance it just yet because I don't know what's going on over there at the moment", Molly explained as she started preparing dinner.


	30. Councelling Begins

Three days later and the students were on the Hogwarts Express heading back to school. Hermione sat with Ashleigh in a compartment alone. They hadn't told the other Weasley's what had happened and Ashleigh wanted to keep it that way.

"You'll be okay Ashleigh. Do you want me to come to your sessions with you? So you know that I'm always there for you", Hermione asked.

"Maybe not the first one. But it would be nice to have you there for others", Ashleigh smiled weakly. "I never did thank you for mentioning Dumbledore to my aunt. I dunno what I would do if I couldn't finish my studies", Ashleigh said.

"You're welcome. I wouldn't want to finish the year without you", Hermione smiled, giving her a hug. Just then, the twins walked by the compartment and looked in, Ashleigh froze. George looked to the floor and walked away. "Don't worry. I told them to leave you alone for now. George is still upset; he's beating himself up over it. Keeps saying it's his fault", Hermione told her.

"But it's not. He must know that", Ashleigh mumbled.

"We've told him, but he won't listen. He'll realize it soon enough. But right now, you need to focus on you", Hermione said, handing her a potion. "Time for your first potion. It'll help", Hermione said. Ashleigh took the potion and swallowed it, making a face at the taste.

"Thanks Hermione. For everything. Any sane person would've just walked away from me", Ashleigh said.

"Well, no one said I was sane", Hermione said, smiling at the small smile that appeared on Ashleigh's face. "There you go. We need to see more of that smile", Hermione told her.

"I know. I'm working on it", Ashleigh said as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station.

"That's good to hear", Hermione said, as they walked out onto the platform. They found themselves an empty carriage but it wouldn't leave until it was full. Just Ashleigh's luck, Fred and George appeared. They turned to leave.

"It's okay", Ashleigh said. They stopped in their tracks and turned around slowly, looking at her. "Come on", she said and moved over beside Hermione. The twins got in and sat down. Both noticing the scars on Ashleigh's wrists and their stare lingered, causing her to pull her sleeves down.

"Sorry", they both mumbled and looked away.

"Even magic can't take away scars", Ashleigh told them. She hadn't been able to cast a glamour charm to hide them because they were off of school grounds. The rest of the ride was silent, which was fine by all means for Ashleigh. They arrived at the school and went into the Great Hall. They all sat there and enjoyed the feast but were then told that Umbridge had instated more new rules. The whole hall sighed. After they all ate, they went upstairs to bed as classes began the next day.

"When do you first see the councillor?" Hermione asked as they got into bed, the other girls hadn't come upstairs yet.

"Tomorrow, after classes", Ashleigh told her. She nodded her head and they went to sleep.

The next day, Ashleigh woke up later than normal so she had to skip breakfast to get ready for class. She made sure to cast a glamour charm on her wrists because she didn't want people knowing what she did. The day went by rather slowly for her but after classes and dinner were done, she had to go up to the Hospital Wing to meet her councillor.

"Hello, I'm Emily Phelps, your new councillor", she said standing up.

"Ashleigh Scott", Ashleigh said, shaking her hand.

"It's unfortunate that we have to meet under these circumstances. But know that I'm here to help", She said as they sat down.

"Thank you", Ashleigh said.

"You're welcome. So tell me what has been going on?" Doctor Phelps asked.

"A lot, I don't know where to start".

"Just take your time; we don't have to talk about anything you're not comfortable with yet".

"Well, I guess it's kinda obvious that I'm depressed. But that started when I was being bullied in school. I was bullied since I was 5 years old until I came to Hogwarts last year. But even then, some people were still nasty to me", Ashleigh started.

"What would they bully you about?" Doctor Phelps asked softly.

"My looks and weight mostly. So I became very self-conscious with zero self-esteem and I guess at some point I started believing what they were saying. The only people I really had were my parents, but they were killed in a car accident a year and a half ago and my depression got worse. I only had one friend, but that ended last summer because she basically admitted that she didn't want anyone knowing she was still friends with me", Ashleigh explained. "So I told her I never wanted to see or hear from her again. What's the point when she's embarrassed by me?" Ashleigh asked.

"I see where you're coming from. And from my perspective, you were right to do that. You don't need someone like that in your life. From what I've been told by your aunt and Professor Dumbledore, you've made really good friends here", she said, Ashleigh nodded. "So keep them close. Don't push them away, that's the last thing you want to do. Aside from me, you should be able to confide in friends".

"I know. I have, but the other night, I just snapped. I just wanted it all to be over", Ashleigh said, tears started falling. Doctor Phelps handed her a box of tissues. "Thank you", Ashleigh said, taking the box.

"You're welcome. Let it all out, it's okay. You can't bottle things up like that. When you feel down about yourself or lonely, you need to talk to someone right away, whether it be me or a friend".

"I've been crying a lot over the past few days. I don't think it's bottled up", Ashleigh sniffled.

"But you were bottling it up. Before that night, that's why you all of a sudden wanted it to be over. But I assure you, it _will_ get better".

"How do you know?" Ashleigh asked.

"Because I was in your position at your age. That's why I became a councillor, because I've been there. I've experienced it and a councillor helped me through it, so I wanted to do my part in helping other teenagers realize they are worth so much more than they think", Doctor Phelps explained.

"Thank you Doctor Phelps", Ashleigh said, smiling a little.

"You're welcome. Now go join your friends. I'll see you tomorrow", she said. Ashleigh nodded and left the Hospital Wing.

Ashleigh walked up to the common room and went straight to her dorm. Hermione saw her so she went up as well. "How did it go?" Hermione asked.

"It was okay. Didn't talk about much other than my depression. She told me to keep my friends close and not to push them away", Ashleigh told her.

"That's true. We want to be here for you, so please don't push us away", Hermione said. "Especially George", she added. Ashleigh looked to the floor.

"I know, I don't mean to. Will you come with me tomorrow?" Ashleigh asked.

"Of course. Now let's get some sleep", Hermione smiled.


	31. Ashleigh's Confession

A month passed since the students returned to Hogwarts and Ashleigh had started seeing her councillor. Hermione went with her to every session and Ashleigh was very thankful about that. Doctor Phelps told her it's good to have such a close friend who wasn't like the one from back home.

"I'd never be embarrassed to be friends with Ashleigh", Hermione told her.

"That's good. I don't know why anyone would. Of course I've heard Ashleigh's explanation, but still. I'm glad you're getting it all out now though", Doctor Phelps told Ashleigh, who nodded.

"I really appreciate you coming here four times a week to talk to me. It really is helping, having this as part of my schedule", Ashleigh told her.

"That's why I became a councillor. To help young men and women who are having trouble", she smiled warmly at the two girls. "We've discussed pretty much everything I think, except the night Hermione found you", Ashleigh looked to the floor. "Do you want to talk about it? The sooner you talk about it, the sooner you can move on".

"It's okay, we're here for you. I will always be here for you", Hermione told her. Ashleigh nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

"I… Back home, at my school before here… I was assaulted… He kept calling me names, saying I was repulsive… That that was gonna be the only attention I got. He didn't actually _rape_ me but he almost did… I guess… When George and I slept together the night before… I guess I wasn't as ready as I thought I was", Ashleigh finished, letting the tears fall. "It just brought up all the horrible memories… When he didn't wanna be near me or look at me or let me touch him, because of our jokes, that's what flooded my mind… That's why I had to get out of there", Ashleigh finished. By this time Hermione had her arms wrapped tightly around Ashleigh and let her cry into her shoulder.

"I am so sorry that you had to go through that. Did you report him or tell anyone?" Doctor Phelps asked. Ashleigh shook her head.

"He threatened to kill me if I did".

"Well since you don't live near there anymore, I am going to contact the headmistress and report him. It is my obligation as a councillor to report things like that. I just need his name, age and when it happened". Ashleigh gave her all the information she needed and Doctor Phelps went to contact her old school straight away.

Hermione and Ashleigh sat in the Hospital Wing for a little while longer, so she could calm down before walking through corridors. Once Ashleigh had stopped crying and looked fine, they left and went up to the common room, but walked straight through to their dorm. The other girls weren't up there yet as it was only 7:00 in the evening.

"I think you should talk to George, it's been a month and I think he needs to know", Hermione told her.

"I dunno if I can. He's already hurting because of me; I can't tell him this and cause him to be even more hurt and angry with me".

"He wouldn't be angry with you. Yes, he'd be angry, but not at you", Hermione told her. "I think you should take George to your next session tomorrow", Hermione told her. Ashleigh looked at her, eyes wide.

"I don't think he'd go for that", she replied quietly.

"I'm going to ask him for you, if you don't do it yourself", Hermione told her.

"Can you?" Ashleigh asked. She smiled slightly at Hermione rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Yes, I will go talk to him right now", she said, leaving the dorm. "George, I need to talk to you", Hermione said, pulling him by the arm and out the portrait.

"What?" He asked Hermione. She looked around to make sure no one was in ear shot.

"Will you go to Ashleigh's counselling session in my place tomorrow?" He looked at her suspiciously. "I'm not joking and it's not a set-up. She asked me to talk to you".

"Why?" George asked.

"Because talking to the councillor is really helping her and I think you two need to talk about some stuff too. So I convinced her to allow you to go tomorrow", Hermione explained. He hesitated.

"Alright, I'll go. But you better not be lying to me, trying to pull a prank", He told her.

"I'm not. I promise", she said, giving him a hug and walked back to the common room. Hermione was hoping that this will bring the two back together, because she hated seeing her boyfriend's brother and her friend like this.

The next day went by quickly and Ashleigh went to the Hospital Wing to meet with her councillor. She told the councillor that George was coming, instead of Hermione and he'd be there in a minute.

"I'm glad you've chosen to let him come. I think this will be a good start to mend your relationship. But the first thing you need to do, is tell him what happened so he knows and understands that it is in no way his fault", Doctor Phelps told Ashleigh as they heard the door open. They both looked over and in came a shy looking George Weasley. "You must be George, I'm Emily Phelps", she said holding out her hand for him to shake, which he did.

"Hello, nice to meet you", he said shyly. George decided to give Ashleigh her space and sit in the armchair instead of beside her on the couch.

"You as well. I'm glad you can join us today. I think we've had a breakthrough with Ashleigh but in order for us to move on, she needs to confront a few things", she explained to George and looked over to Ashleigh. "Would you like me to give you some privacy or do you want me to stay?"

"I need you to stay", Ashleigh told her. Doctor Phelps nodded and leaned back in her chair.

Ashleigh then started to explain to George what she had told Hermione and Doctor Phelps the day before. She had started crying halfway through her explanation, which caused George to get up and sit beside her. He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. Doctor Phelps watched the scene unfold in front of her. She noticed that when George wrapped his arms around Ashleigh, she flinched, but that only made him hold her tighter.

"I'm so sorry", He said softly, tears threatening to fall at how broken Ashleigh was at that moment. "I… I never would have gone through with it if I had known", George told her. He leaned against the back of the couch, pulled Ashleigh into his lap and just held her. Doctor Phelps took that as her cue to leave and give them privacy. She placed her clipboard and papers on the desk and silently left the room.

"Hermione, what are you doing down here?" She asked, seeing Hermione sitting in the main area of the Hospital Wing.

"I wanted to make sure George showed up", she said.

"He did. They're in the office right now. I figured I should give them some privacy. I'm guessing you're the one who suggested he be here?" She asked, sitting across from Hermione.

"Yes. He needed to know. He's been blaming himself for the past month as much as we all tried to tell him it wasn't his fault", Hermione told her.

"Thank you Hermione. I think this is a very good thing". Hermione nodded.

Back in the office, George was still cradling a sobbing Ashleigh and he was running his hands through her hair, trying to calm her down.

"I'm here now. I just wish you told me sooner, so I could be there for you like I promised", he told her. He had silent tears running down his face as his heart broke for her.

"I-I'm s-sorry", she said between sobs.

"It's okay love" George said. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. He removed the hair from in front of her face and looked into her eyes. "Please forgive me for the way I acted that night. I didn't know that's why you thought I thought you were repulsive or anything else. But you're not, you're beautiful Ashleigh. Believe that", he said and wiped the tears off of her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I want to, I do. And I'm working on it", she told him once she'd managed to slow down her sobs.

"Thank you", he smiled slightly at her. "I want you to know, even if you don't want to be with me right now or ever again, I love you. Always and forever", he told her.


	32. A Taste of Normalcy

George and Ashleigh had stayed in the office for quite a while, George just letting Ashleigh cry as much as she needed to. Eventually she fell asleep, still sitting on his lap. He decided he should take her back upstairs. He tucked her head against his chest, got a good grip on her and stood up. He walked over to the door and managed to open it, but almost wacked her legs off the doorframe. He saw Hermione and Doctor Phelps sitting there talking. They both looked at him.

"She cried herself to sleep. So I figured I'd just take her upstairs so she'd be more comfy", he told them. They nodded. Hermione got up to go with him.

"Thank you for coming today George. I hope to see you again", Doctor Phelps said as they left.

"Thank you. I hope to come again".

"So, I take it she told you?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I wish I had known before, because I wouldn't have gone through with it", he told Hermione. People were staring at them as they walked the corridors.

"Mind your own business", Hermione snapped at everyone who stared. "I'm glad she told you now. I know it's a little late, but this will hopefully help her move on", Hermione said as they climbed the last staircase before Gryffindor tower.

"I hope so. I mean, I'm glad she told me, but my heart just broke when I saw her like that. I've seen her cry, but nothing like that", George said as Hermione said the password.

"I know what you mean", Hermione whispered as they walked through the portrait. There weren't many people in the common room when they walked through; however, Fred and Ginny were sitting by the fire.

"Uh, I can't go up the girls' staircase, and I don't think you'll be able to carry her, no offence", Hermione shook her head to say 'none taken'. "I guess I'll have to put her on the couch here until she wakes up", he said and walked over to the couch. Fred raised his eyebrows as he sat down on the end of the couch with Ashleigh in his lap. He leaned over and laid her down, putting her head in his lap so she had a form of a pillow.

"What's this?" Fred asked. George looked at Ginny so she would leave them alone for a few minutes. She got the clue and walked away with Hermione.

"I went to her counselling session today, because she wanted me to. I found out some things that I'm not going to repeat, but it explains a lot. Obviously she's upset so she broke down, it was heartbreaking Fred. I pulled her onto my lap and held her for a while and then she fell asleep. So I carried her, instead of levitated. I liked that she let me hold her like that. I've missed her", George explained. Fred nodded.

"I hope this helps the healing she needs to do", Fred said, leaning back against the couch.

"I hope so too", George said quietly. He noticed that he was subconsciously running his fingers through Ashleigh's hair.

"Are you two finally back together?" Ginny asked, coming back over.

"No, I don't think so Gin", George told his little sister.

"Why? You never even told me why you broke up", she pouted.

"It's not my place to tell you things that Ashleigh doesn't want people to know. And I don't think we will be getting back together", he told Ginny, who pouted even more.

"We're all still friends though", Fred told her.

"Doesn't seem that way. She's avoided all of us, except for Hermione. She even avoids me", Ginny said, sitting down.

"Sometimes people have things going on that is hard for them to talk about and they end up distancing themselves from most people", George explained. Ashleigh rolled over in her sleep so now she was facing the room at large, instead of the back of the couch.

"Is she okay? She _is_ my friend too you know. If something is wrong, I should be able to know what it is", Ginny told them.

"Ginny, it's not our place to tell you other people's business and problems", George told her.

"No, she's right", they heard and saw Ashleigh open her eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" Fred asked.

"Not long. But I'm sorry Ginny; I shouldn't have distanced myself from you. But you already know most of it, because it all leads back to my depression", Ashleigh said. She nodded her head in acknowledgement. Ashleigh pulled back her sleeves and removed the glamour charm, showing Ginny her scars. Ginny gasped and grabbed her wrists, not believing they were real.

"When?" She asked, tears starting to form.

"New Year's morning, when I disappeared from The Burrow", Ashleigh told her. Ginny kneeled on the floor and hugged Ashleigh, who was still lying on George's lap. "What am I lying on?" She asked, realizing her neck was getting sore. She turned her head and saw George sitting behind her; she quickly realized her head was in his lap. She sat up quickly and head butted him in the mouth. "Ow. Sorry", she said sheepishly. George held his mouth for a minute.

"I think my tooth got you. Your head is bleeding", George said, taking his hand from his mouth and wiping the blood from her forehead with his finger. "Yeah, you have an indent of my front teeth on your forehead", he told her. He grabbed a tissue and held it to her forehead.

"Thanks', she smiled.

"No problem", he smiled back.

"They'll definitely be getting back together", Fred whispered to Hermione and Ginny.

"Shove off", George warned throwing a pillow at his head.

"Relax. It's okay, I'm fine", she giggled. George couldn't hold in his giant smile at hearing Ashleigh's giggle.

"Definitely", Hermione and Ginny agreed. Ashleigh shook her head at the girls and Fred. George still had the tissue pressed against her forehead.

"I think my head is okay now", she told him.

"Oh", he pulled the tissue away from her head. "It looks like I bit you", George laughed.

"Lovely", Ashleigh said swinging her legs over the edge of the couch. "How did I get back here?" She finally asked.

"I carried you because you fell asleep", George told her.

"Oh", was all she said. "Thanks for being there today", she said.

"Anything for you", he smiled.

"So if I asked you to jump off a bridge, you'd do it?" She asked.

"Possibly. Depends on what's underneath said bridge", he laughed at the looks on everyone's faces. Everyone was happy to see Ashleigh smile and hear her joking again.


	33. Together Again

Ashleigh continued to be in good spirits over the next month. She continued going to her sessions and taking her potion every day, George replacing Hermione at her sessions twice a week. She realized she felt a lot better once she got the big secret off her chest. She continued to keep talking to all of her friends, instead of pushing them away, including George.

"How do you feel today?" Doctor Phelps asked as Ashleigh and George sat down.

"Today's a good day", Ashleigh smiled. "I haven't felt so whole or comfortable in my own skin for so long but it's finally starting to change", she beamed.

"That's excellent. Exactly what I want to hear", Doctor Phelps smiled.

"What about you George?" Doctor Phelps asked. She had taken to asking George and Hermione about their moods and how they were feeling, but they didn't mind.

"Really good. I haven't seen Ashleigh smile like this in so long and it's so good to see. I missed her smile and her laugh", he told her. Ashleigh blushed a little.

"That's good. I'm happy that you aren't pushing your friends away anymore and everything is going good for you. I hope it stays that way. Now I want you to keep taking the potion because it will help keep your mood even, but it's a non-drowsy one, so you shouldn't have to worry about sleeping the whole day away", Doctor Phelps explained.

"I'll keep taking it; I don't want to fall back into that gutter. I think I am finally happy with who I am, what I look like and how much I weigh. It took me a while, but I think I'm where I want and need to be. I heard somewhere that when people keep telling you things over and over, then you'll start to believe it. I think that's what happened to me, it just happened to be about my appearance", Ashleigh told them.

"I'm so happy to hear you say that Ashleigh, I really am", George smiled at her from his place in the armchair, which he had taken a liking to over the sofa.

"So am I. I also have excellent news that should help give you closure. I heard back from your old school and they've informed me that the student who assaulted you has been arrested and tried on 5 other cases, as well as yours. They found out about one and used truth potion to find out about all the others. He's been given a 10 year sentence in prison with no eligibility for parole", Doctor Phelps explained.

"That's great", George smiled, looking over to Ashleigh, she smiled weakly and nodded her head. "Isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I just have a conscience and feel guilty about him being in prison", she said looking to the floor.

"No. Don't feel guilty; you have no reason to be. Remember, today is the best day you've had in a while, don't let this bring you down, it should lift your spirits", George told her.

"I know", she smiled. "Sometimes I feel guilty about the things I shouldn't, something else I've got to work on".

"It's okay to feel guilty about things, but like George said, you have absolutely no reason to feel guilty about this. He got less than what he deserves, but at least he can't hurt anyone else now. But don't dwell on it, believe me, this is the best news for you to get and I think it will give you closure on that part of your life", Doctor Phelps told Ashleigh, who nodded.

"Thank you", she smiled.

"You're welcome. Now, something else I wanted to talk to you about. I think we can lower our sessions to twice a week and see how you are doing then. What do you think?" Doctor Phelps asked Ashleigh.

"We can try it, I wanna see how I would do more on my own now anyway", Ashleigh told her.

"Okay, so we'll do Mondays and Thursdays?"

"Sounds good", Ashleigh smiled. "Thank you for everything", she said, shaking Doctor Phelps' hand. George following suit.

"You're welcome. I'll see you on Monday", she smiled as they left the office. They said their goodbyes and headed to the common room.

"Actually, I wanted to send a letter to my aunt letting her know everything's okay. I'm not sure if Doctor Phelps does it or not. Wanna come?" She asked George.

"Yeah, why not", he smiled and they changed course. Ashleigh wrote a letter telling her aunt that everything was fine and her councillor said they only have to meet twice a week now and that she has never felt happier. She sent the letter and they both headed to the common room.

With everything going on, Ashleigh completely forgot about Umbridge's wrath on the school and their secret meetings.

"Are you guys still meeting?" She whispered so no one could over hear.

"Not for a while. Umbridge busted us and gave us all detention", George told her. At that she grabbed his hand. She saw the faint scars of the lines he had to write, she kissed the scars. "If that's what we're doing now", he waggled his eyebrows, grabbed her wrists and kissed each one. She smiled at him as they continued their long walk to the common room. When they got closer to the common room, Ashleigh stopped but George kept walking until he realized she wasn't beside him. "Everything okay?" He asked, walking back over to where she was leaning against the wall.

"Just didn't want to go back into the crowded common room yet", she told him. He leaned against the wall beside her.

"It might not be crowded, it is 7:00", he told her.

"I know, but I wanted to talk, just me and you for a change", she looked up at him.

"I'm okay with that. What did you wanna talk about?" He asked.

"Just… I know we've never really talked about that first day you came to my session with me. I wanted to know how you felt about what I told you", she mumbled.

"I told you then that I wouldn't have gone through with it if I had known".

"I know, but I mean other feelings. Talking about things has helped me and you're the only one who I haven't talked to about it except for when I told you. But we never actually discussed it", Ashleigh said. George led her to the bench across from the portrait.

"I know I've avoided it. I… I was really angry, but not at you. At the scumbag who can do something like that to another human being. It's sickening. But I was also hurt that you didn't tell me sooner. Now I realize that it was because it was hard for you to talk about, and that's perfectly understandable. I just want you to know, that even if we're not together, I want you to come talk to me if you need to. I still wanna be your friend. But that doesn't mean that I don't still love you, because I do", he finished. Ashleigh just looked at him and didn't say anything. "Ashleigh, I know that might not be what you want to hear, but I-"

"Just shut up and kiss me already", she cut him off and crashed her lips to his.

"Needed to say it", he finished after a minute and then crashed his lips back down on hers. They heard someone wolf whistle, so she broke the kiss and looked to the portrait. Hermione was standing there with Ginny and Fred, huge smiles on their faces.

"About time", they all chimed.

"How long were you standing there?" Ashleigh asked.

"We literally just came out here to look for you because curfew is coming up", Hermione told them. They jumped up and ran into the common room.

"You two owe me a galleon each", Fred said to Ginny and Hermione as they all sat down in the common room. George and Ashleigh both raised their eyebrows. "I bet the girls that you two would be back together this week; they disagreed and thought next week or the week after. But I won", Fred smirked.

"Who said we're back together?" Ashleigh asked. George looked down at her.

"The kiss did", Fred winked. George was still looking down at Ashleigh because he couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"I'm only joking", Ashleigh said and kissed him again.

"You still have my teeth dented in your forehead", George laughed. He hadn't realized it scarred until now when he was sitting in close proximity to her.

"That's wonderful. People are gonna think either I'm _really_ kinky or dating a vampire who bites in odd places", Ashleigh laughed.

"Maybe both", George laughed with her. She playfully hit his arm.

"So, George and I have been talking. We're not gonna be staying here much longer. We've found property to open our own joke shop and we're gonna leave to do it", Fred told them. Hermione and Ashleigh just looked at them. Ginny was first to speak.

"Mum's not gonna like that", Ginny told them.

"Well she isn't gonna find out right away, now is she?" George looked at his sister.

"I guess not", she mumbled.

"Good. Because you know what we're capable of", Fred laughed. "But we wanted to tell you two now, so you'd be prepared when we decide to do it. But don't worry, you won't be getting rid of us that easily", Fred told them.


	34. The Attack

Harry awoke with a start, he didn't know what was happening to him, but he kept having odd dreams, mostly the same one with a mysterious door and a large room beyond that door. But this one was a little different. He saw the door but he saw a large snake slithering towards it. On the other side he saw a ginger haired man with his illuminated wand who slowly turned around. All of a sudden, it was like Harry was the snake and he was attacking the man.

"Harry, you okay?" Ron asked as he heard Harry vomit next to his bed. Harry couldn't talk, Ron noticed he was as white as a ghost and ran out of the room to get Professor McGonagall. She came up and tried to talk to Harry but he just sat there. They took him to Professor Dumbledore, where Harry was finally able to find his voice and told them about his dream.

"Who was the man Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Arthur Weasley, sir", was Harry's weak reply. Dumbledore told a portrait to make sure Arthur was found by the right people, another portrait sent to Grimmauld Place to let the others know and asked McGonagall to collect the Weasley children from their beds.

Fifteen minutes later and all the Weasley kids were in Dumbledore's study and were filled in on the situation. They were given a portkey which would take them to headquarters to meet up with their family.

"What about Harry, Hermione and Ashleigh?" Ginny asked.

"Right now, we are concerned about you going to your family. Next week is the week off that we've instated. So the other three will be joining you on Friday", Dumbledore explained.

This was the first year that Hogwarts had ever had a week long break in mid-March, but the students liked the idea of it. Harry watched as the Weasley's all left and then was sent back to his dorm.

The next morning Hermione and Ashleigh woke to find Harry sitting in the common room in his pyjamas.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Mr. Weasley was attacked last night", was all he said.

"What?" Hermione gasped.

"I dreamt it, but it really happened. It was like a vision or something, it happened as I was dreaming it. The others have all gone already but we can't go until Friday", Harry told them. Hermione hugged him, seeing that he was a complete mess. Ashleigh did this as well. They were due to be in class, but they couldn't leave Harry, so they got special permission from McGonagall to not attend classes that day.

Ashleigh and Hermione both desperately wished that they could be there for Fred and George but knew they couldn't be just yet because they weren't immediate family, which meant Dumbledore couldn't let them leave the school until break started.

That day went by slowly and finally, it was Friday morning and they could get the train back to London. The three of them were quite concerned because they hadn't heard anything from anyone. The train ride was silent, Ashleigh again using her muggle Discman and listening to her favorite muggle music.

They finally arrived at Kings Cross but quickly realized that they had no one to pick them up. They hadn't been able to talk to anyone to have them come get them from the train station.

"Why did we get on the train if no one knew we were coming?" Hermione asked.

"Because we didn't think", Ashleigh told her. They walked through the barrier and out to muggle London, sitting on a bench. "Oh, wait. Let's look for my cousin, I think he was supposed to be coming home. Which means my aunt should be here", Ashleigh told them. They got up and walked around until, sure enough, they found Ethan sitting on a bench inside. "Ethan, is your mom coming to get you?"

"She was supposed to, but usually she's here by now", Ethan told them. Just then they heard someone calling out for Ethan. They turned around and saw Tracie desperately trying to find her son. Ashleigh called over to her and she sighed with relief.

"Hey mum", Ethan said, standing up.

"Hello. What are you three doing here?" She asked.

"Well Arthur Weasley was attacked the other night so we're supposed to be meeting up with the Weasley's, but we never thought about the fact we hadn't reached them. So we're kinda stranded here", Ashleigh explained. "Unless we can go home with you and use the floo network?"

"Of course you can", Tracie smiled. "Come on kids", she said, leading them to the parking lot. They arrived to Tracie's house about twenty minutes later and had lunch before flooing over to the Burrow.

When they got to the Burrow, they looked around but realized no one was there, they felt awkward about being in the house when no Weasley was home. They decided to floo to St. Mungo's to see if they were there.

"We're here to see Arthur Weasley", Hermione told the receptionist.

"What relation are you to him?"

"We're close family friends", Ashleigh told them. Harry and Hermione nodded.

"Only immediate family are allowed to visit", she told them.

"Well can you at least tell us what floor so we can find his family?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry, I cannot do that. Only his direct family is allowed on that specific floor", she told them as she looked at papers in front of her.

"This is ridiculous", Hermione said as they walked away and went outside, through the fake wall to hide St. Mungo's from the muggles.

"What should we do?" Ashleigh asked.

"Well we're kinda stuck here. I stupidly forgot to bring extra floo powder with us and we can't apparate yet", Hermione told them. They found a bench outside the entrance to the hospital and sat down.

"Why is only direct family allowed on the floor he's on?" Harry wondered aloud. "I hope he's okay", he added.

They sat there in silence for a couple hours, praying that Arthur would make it. They didn't know what was going on, since they weren't allowed to go up. Finally a familiar face showed up, walking out the entrance onto the sidewalk. They looked over, but didn't say anything. It looked like he was looking for something or someone. Finally Hermione cleared her throat and he whirled around.

"There you guys are", Ron said. "They sent me down to see if there was any sign of you guys".

"We've been here for two hours but the receptionist wouldn't tell us what floor you were on. So we've been sitting out here", Harry explained.

"Well she can't say anything because I am bringing you guys in with me", he said.

"How is he?" Hermione asked.

"Not good. He hasn't woken up and the anti-venom doesn't seem to be working. And he lost a lot of blood", Ron told them. "We're staying as strong as we can, but it's not easy. Fred, George and Ginny are the ones who are having the most difficulty, besides mum, she's a wreck. Charlie and Bill can't be here until Sunday, so I'm the only one who can comfort mum. It's not that easy for me either, but I don't show it in front of everyone", Ron explained, they could tell he wanted and needed to cry and let it all out, but they knew how stubborn he was and he wouldn't do it.

They got up to the waiting room; everyone was sitting in a chair, with their backs to them. Ashleigh and Hermione walked up behind Fred and George (they could tell them apart from behind because George's hair was shorter). They wrapped their arms around their necks and put their chins on their shoulders. The twins jumped but relaxed when they realised who it was.

"Hey baby", Ashleigh whispered, kissing the side of his head. He didn't make a move or a sound; she knew that he was deeply hurting, as she had been there before. She knew whatever she said, wouldn't help as it didn't help her, but she wanted George to know that she was there for him. She also wanted Molly and the others to know that she was there for them as well. "I'll be right back", she told George and walked to each Weasley and put her arms around them in a big hug. "You can't bottle it up, you need to let your emotions out", she whispered to Ron. "We're here for all of you, but you can't do this to yourself", she told him. He nodded, sighing.

"Thank you", he whispered and she knew that he was ready to break down. She rubbed his back and let him cry into her shoulder. She sat with her arms around him for a few minutes when Harry came over to sit with Ron. He told Ashleigh to go back to comfort George, so she did just that.


	35. Visitation

George was sitting in the chair, looking at the ground so Ashleigh knelt down in front of him and put her hands on his knees. She looked up at him and noticed how pale and tired he looked. His eyes held a blank stare.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked him. He just kept his gaze on the tiled floor. To Ashleigh, it seemed like he was the most affected by what was happening with his family, the others all showed some emotion, whereas George didn't as he seemed to be in some sort of shock.

"He's been like that since we got here this morning. Hasn't moved or said a word", Fred told her. She nodded in understanding.

"George? Come take a walk with me", Ashleigh whispered, pulling his hand and trying to get him to stand. It took a few minutes but he finally stood up causing everyone to look in their direction. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Ashleigh held George's hand and led him to the elevator. She led him outside and to the bench she sat on before Ron found them. "Please talk to me", she said. Silence. George just stared at the ground. "George, I know what you're feeling right now. I lost both of my parents, remember? Please don't freeze me out", she told him.

Ashleigh still held his hand so she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. They sat there in silence for a while; Ashleigh didn't want to push him. She looked up at him and saw that he now had tears falling down his cheeks. She had never seen him cry before; her heart ached for him and his family. She knew he just needed to let it out. She stood up in front of him and wrapped her arms around him and let him cry. She stood like that for fifteen minutes or so, until she felt his sobs had disappeared.

"Thank you", he said weakly.

"Anything for you", she said, sitting beside him again. "You've been there for me and I know I pushed you away for a while but I will be here for you no matter what", she told him, grabbing his hands in hers. "I love you George Weasley. Always and forever", she said, kissing his hands.

"I love you too", he told her, leaning against the back of the bench.

"Do you want to talk now?" She asked him, relieved that he was finally speaking again.

"I just… I don't know what I'd do if we lost dad. Or how anyone else would deal with it", he whispered.

"Look at me", she told him. After a few minutes, he finally looked up at her. "I'm hoping and praying that he's going to be alright, I am. But I'm not gonna sit here and say he'll be fine when there's no guarantee. What _is_ a guarantee though, is that all of you _will_ get through it. You guys are _so_ strong, and Harry, Hermione and I will be here every step of the way", Ashleigh told him. He nodded solemnly.

"Thank you. I appreciate it… I think I'm ready to go back inside now", he told her. She nodded and they stood up. Hand-in-hand, they went back to the elevator and up to the floor where Arthur was. Everyone looked at the two, who had been gone a while and noticed George seemed to be more put together again.

"Are you alright Georgie?" Fred asked, hoping he would answer him this time.

"Are any of us alright?" He asked quietly. "Any news?"

"Not yet", Molly said, coming over and pulling George and Ashleigh into a big hug. "Thank you", she whispered to Ashleigh, who nodded. A healer then came out and said they can go in two people at a time to see Arthur, but he wasn't awake and they didn't know how much longer he had if the different anti-venom potions wouldn't work. Molly and Ginny went in first, they were in there for quite a while, Ron asked Harry to go with him next.

"Do you want to come in with me?" Fred asked Hermione.

"I think you and George should go in together", Hermione told him, Ashleigh agreeing.

"I think you should go with Fred, Hermione. Ashleigh should go with George", Molly said softly. So Hermione and Fred went in next. "You're the only one who could get through to George today so I think he's gonna need you in there with him most", Molly told Ashleigh, who nodded. Fred and Hermione came out a little while later, still crying. George and Ashleigh went in next. Ashleigh held George's hand tightly so he'd know she was there for him. She felt him immediately tense up at the site of his father. They sat down in the chairs beside the bed.

"Dad? It's me, George. Ashleigh's with me", George said, fighting away the tears. "We need you to come back to us, dad. We can't go on without you", he told him. Ashleigh squeezed his hand. When she could see that he couldn't hold it in much longer, she got up and hugged him again, like she did outside. George knew in that moment, when Ashleigh hugged him that second time, that everything would eventually be alright, even if his dad passed on.

"Dad, I love you. We all love you. But… If you need to go, I'd understand, but it'll be hard to live without you. I've been trying to stay strong, but I couldn't do anything for hours, move, talk, nothing. That was until Ashleigh showed up to be there for me and for everyone. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is… Don't worry about us. We all have someone to help us, just focus on you. Please, try to find your way back", George finished, tears still streaming. By this point, Ashleigh was crying as well.

"Mr. Weasley, it's Ashleigh. I just want you to know that George is in good hands, as is the rest of your family. I love your son, so much and I would give anything so he didn't have to go through this kind of pain, which is all too familiar for me. The difference is; I had to suffer alone. But your family isn't alone, they will never be alone. But they miss you so much already", Ashleigh finished, kissing the back of his hand that she was holding.

She wrapped her arms around George as they said goodbye and joined the rest of the family in the waiting room. She sat down quietly beside George, but refused to let go of his hand. Everyone still had silent tears falling down their cheeks and none of them knew what to do at this point. Everyone refused to leave, which left them sleeping in the chairs. A healer came out and took them to a private room which had comfy chairs and sofas. There were 3 large sofas, 3 soft chairs and 3 recliners. Ashleigh sat down on one sofa and George sat beside her. Everyone got situated but no one sat with George and Ashleigh so Ashleigh told George to lie down. He did so and used her lap as a pillow.

"Try to rest", Ashleigh told him. She was playing with his hair and running her fingers through it, which always relaxed her so she hoped it would have the same effect on George. Not long after, she could hear his breathing even out and knew he had finally fallen asleep.

"Is he asleep?" Molly asked from the recliner sitting right beside Ashleigh's end of the couch.

"Yes, finally", Ashleigh told her. Molly nodded.

"I am so glad you're here. For a while, we didn't think you guys were coming", Molly told her.

"Well we had sent letters but never heard back, so we just got the train. When we got to Kings Cross, we were stranded for a bit, until I remembered my cousin Ethan should be around and he was. So Tracie took us home and fed us lunch, then we flooed here. But they wouldn't let us come up because we're not family so we sat outside for two hours until Ron came out and found us", Ashleigh explained.

"That's quite a day", Molly told her.

"Yes, it has been", she nodded. Molly put her hand on top of Ashleigh's that was sitting on the arm of the couch.

"No one was able to get through to George, except you. We tried for hours, trying to get him to move or talk, but nothing. Until you got here. From my perspective, he clearly loves you, so much. I am so happy you two are back together. I don't know what would have happened if George stayed in the state he was in much longer", Molly told her.

"I love him to Mrs. Weasley, more than I can express with words. If he hadn't been here for me over the last month or so, I don't know that I'd be having such good days and less counselling sessions", Ashleigh told her.

"Please, call me Molly", Ashleigh nodded. "I am so happy that you're feeling better. George was quite upset but I couldn't understand why for a while. I know it sounds harsh, but you guys are so young, 15 and 17 so I didn't believe that you guys knew what love really was. But then I thought about how I was young when Arthur and I fell in love. And after today, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind", Molly explained to her. Ashleigh had tears forming in her eyes.

"Thank you", she whispered to Molly.


	36. This Isn't Goodbye

Ashleigh had managed to fall asleep sitting up, with George still sleeping on her. Her fingers were tangled in his hair so she was woken by him yelping in pain.

"I'm sorry", she said, looking at his face. "I didn't mean to fall asleep".

"It's okay. You needed rest too", he told her. He sat beside her and put his arms around her.

"Kids, come with me please", Molly said, walking into the room.

"What is it mum?" Fred asked, worry etched onto his face. She led then down the hall and to Arthur's room. They all walked into the room and over to the bed. Charlie and Bill had arrived earlier than expected, so they were there as well.

"Dad?" George asked. Arthur slowly opened his eyes and looked at them.

"Now I want you all to know, that he isn't out of the woods yet. The anti-venoms still aren't working, but this is a slow acting venom", the healer explained.

"I heard you", he said, looking at George and then Ashleigh. "Thank you", he said as his gaze was fixed on Ashleigh. She nodded her head and kept her arm around George's waist.

"Thank Merlin dad, you gave us a right scare", Ron said, standing at the foot of the bed.

"I want to tell you all how much I love you. Ashleigh, Hermione, Harry, I love you three as well. I know my kids will be well looked after with you three behind the wheel. Molly love, I love you with all of my heart, you remember that", Arthur told her. They all started crying again.

"Don't talk like that dad", Ginny said, giving him a hug as best as she could.

"It's okay Ginny. If this is the plan for me, I'm okay with it. I just needed you all to know how much I love each and every one of you", he told them.

"Arthur no, you're going to make it. You're too strong not to", Molly sobbed.

"I don't know that I am", he coughed up some blood. "Just remember me like I have always been. Don't let seeing me like this, keep you from remembering the good times", he told them. "George, please don't cry. I know you're my most sensitive son, but please. You have such a good girl here that you need to take care of. For a while, she may need to take care of you, but eventually you'll get passed this. Ashleigh is the best person to turn to, she has unfortunately experienced this before", Arthur told George. Only Hermione, Ginny, Molly and the twins knew. Harry and Ron didn't, nor did Charlie or Bill. They looked at her.

"Dad, I know I'm going to be sad. We'll all be sad, but if this is what is supposed to happen, I understand. I understand that life is unfair at times, most of the time actually, but I know I'll be okay because you'll always be alive in here", George said, pointing to his heart.

"Thank you son", Arthur smiled weakly. One-by-one, everyone gave him a hug and left him to get some rest. Molly stayed in there with him.

An hour later they all heard a scream.

"That sounded like mum", Fred said as they all jumped up and ran through the door. Arthur was lying on the bed with the oxygen mask pulled off of his face; they needed to put that on him so he could breathe. Molly was in hysterics as healer's tried getting Arthur to breathe again. Bill and Charlie ran over and grabbed their mum, pulling her out of the room. By this point, everyone was sobbing, all over again.

"What happened?" Bill asked when they all had finally calmed down a bit.

"I just went to the washroom and when I got back I noticed he took the oxygen mask off and he wasn't breathing", she continued sobbing. Half an hour later a healer came out.

"We did everything we could, I'm so sorry. Arthur didn't make it", he said glumly, causing hysterics all around. George had gone pale again and started to distance himself from their current reality. He let go of Ashleigh's hand and stared at the floor again. Not even Ashleigh could bring him out this time. They all sat there for a long time before deciding to go in and say their final goodbyes to Arthur Weasley.

A few days later found Bill and Charlie making funeral arrangements for their father while Molly wouldn't leave her bedroom. Ginny and Hermione kept trying to get in to make sure she was okay, but she put up spells on the door that the girls couldn't break, since they were underage. But when they asked Bill and Charlie, they tried but only the spells could be taken down by Molly herself. They tried getting in for hours, by knocking on the door and calling out to Molly, but she ignored them.

Fred and George had both stayed in their room everyday as well. They didn't want to see or hear from anyone, not even their girlfriends. Harry kept Ron company and comforted him but Harry knew that Ron wouldn't show his emotions to anyone.

Ashleigh kept trying to get in to see George, but he wouldn't let her. She didn't want him to be alone like she was when her parents died. She knew what he was going through and she wanted to help. She decided to take all meals and cleaning into her own hands since that was all she seemed to be able to help with. She knew how to cook, she just never did. She made up a few of her best dishes and placed them on the table. Everyone showed up to eat, except the twins and Molly.

Ashleigh plated three plates and took them upstairs and left them outside the bedroom doors. She hoped that all of them would take their food and eat it but she wasn't getting her hopes up to high.

"That was really delicious. Thank you Ashleigh", Bill said as he cleared his spot.

"You're welcome. This seems to be the only way I can help out since the twins and Molly locked themselves in their bedrooms." Bill nodded, giving Ashleigh a hug and left the kitchen. Everyone else slowly finished, not in the mood to eat, but they knew they had to. After finishing, everyone thanked Ashleigh and went back to whatever it was that they were doing before dinner.

Ashleigh decided to floo to her aunts for a quick visit, as she hadn't told her what happened yet.

"Ashleigh, what a wonderful surprise", Tracie smiled but faltered as soon as she saw the tears. "What's wrong?"

"Arthur passed away three days ago", she said, dropping to the couch. She couldn't hold in her emotions anymore, they were eating her alive. Tracie wrapped her arms around her crying niece. "He was attacked by a snake but the venom was slow acting. He lost a lot of blood but he eventually woke up long enough to say goodbye and then when he was alone he… he took off his oxygen mask so he could go", Ashleigh sobbed. Finally getting it off her chest.

"Oh my goodness. Okay, shh", Tracie said, holding her niece tight. "How are the others?"

"Molly, Fred and George locked themselves in their bedrooms and refuse to come out or talk to anyone, George won't talk to me. Bill and Charlie are doing funeral arrangements. Ginny and Hermione keep trying to get Molly to come out of her room but she refuses. I have no idea how Ron and Harry are. I've taken on Molly's responsibilities of cooking and cleaning right now, because that's all I seem to be able to do to help", Ashleigh explained.

"That's a wonderful thing you're doing for them. But what about once the week is up?" Tracie asked.

"I was hoping that you could write to Professor Dumbledore and give me permission to miss some school. I don't know how long, but I'll gladly do my work by owl mail. I just don't want to leave them right now. I doubt they'll be returning to school", Ashleigh told Tracie.

"As long as you promise you'll do the work when you get it, I will of course write to Professor Dumbledore to ask him that", Tracie told her.

"I will, I promise. Thank you", she said, hugging her aunt even tighter.

"You're welcome. Now go back over there and I will floo there later with a bunch of food that can be frozen and heated at a later time with a spell", Tracie told her. Ashleigh obeyed and flooed back to The Burrow.

Ashleigh went upstairs and to her dismay, none of the three plates had been touched.

That evening, the Minister of Magic showed up at the Burrow to offer his condolences and to fill them in on instructions Arthur had left him with when he started working at the Ministry. Arthur had been saving money since Bill was born in an estate account at Gringotts, so if anything happened to him, his family would be financially stable. He had also opened accounts for each of his children for when they turned 18, Bill and Charlie had access to there's but Arthur told them never to tell anyone. Fred and George would be gaining access to theirs in less than a month. The amount in each vault was quite substantial, which was why everyone was in tears, because Arthur had thought ahead many years ago.


	37. It's See You Later

The next day was the funeral for Arthur. Ashleigh still hadn't seen George or Molly, but Fred had finally come out of his room and sought comfort in Hermione. Ashleigh called through each door letting them know that the funeral was about to start, they decided to have it in the backyard and cremate Arthur, spreading his ashes in the fields of The Burrow. They put the podium just outside the door into the house and chairs facing it.

A lot of people turned up to the funeral and were all seated. All the Weasley kids were sitting in the front row, along with Harry and Hermione. Ashleigh didn't deem it appropriate when no one knew her and George didn't seem to be attending. Charlie had asked her to prepare a speech on George's behalf as he didn't think George would be able to do it himself. Ashleigh politely declined at first, as again, no one knew who she was. But Charlie insisted and so she gave into him. Ashleigh saw Tracie and Ethan and walked over to meet them. She gave them both hugs.

"Are you okay?" Tracie asked.

"Besides everyone staring at me, I think I'm okay. Charlie insisted that I prepare a speech on George's behalf. It doesn't appear that he or Molly are going to attend", Ashleigh said, her unshed tears finally falling.

"I'm sure they'll be here. I don't know why they would not want to say their final goodbye", Tracie whispered, hugging Ashleigh again. The minister started the ceremony, calling one-by-one, each Weasley up to make a speech. The last being Charlie.

"The last speech today will be spoken by Ashleigh Scott", he told the crowd at large. No one recognized the name so they were looking around for the person giving the speech. Finally there eyes settled on her as she finally got up and made her way to the front. Ashleigh noticed that there wasn't a dry eye in sight. She finally got to the front, all watery eyes on her.

"Hello, my name is Ashleigh Scott. Pretty much all of you don't know me. I have known the Weasley family for about a year and a half; I met Molly and Arthur almost four months after meeting their kids. I've also been seeing George for a little over a year. Charlie asked me to prepare a speech on George's behalf. I didn't deem it appropriate but he insisted that I introduce myself and continue. I haven't known the Weasley's for nearly as long as any of you, but it breaks my heart seeing how much they are hurting right now.

"They have been there for me many times and I wish there was something I could do to take this pain away. Arthur was like a father figure to me since the moment I met him. I know how much it hurts because I've been through this myself and nothing hurts me more than seeing the people I love hurting so much.

"Molly and George haven't come out of their rooms for a few days and I don't see them here either. I wish with all of my heart that I could help them; I wish they would let me in. I promised Arthur that his family will be in good hands if he needed to go. And I will stick to that promise. One of the last things Arthur said to me was 'thank you' and I will carry that in my heart forever, knowing that I was able to make that promise and he appreciated it. "Goodbye Arthur, gone but never forgotten", Ashleigh finished.

By this point Ashleigh had silent tears streaming heavily down her cheeks as she walked over to the open casket and put a photo of her and George on his chest, as well as her speech. Everyone before her had done this as well. Charlie also put a picture of Molly as she wasn't there to do it herself. She stood there for a moment, in her own little world and didn't hear someone walk up behind her. She jumped a little when someone wrapped their arms around her from behind. She looked up to see who it was.

"George", she whispered and turned around, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He had tears streaming down his cheeks as well, but he didn't care. He rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry", he whispered into her hair. She shook her head and just held onto him for a few minutes. They broke apart and noticed everyone staring at them in awe as they tried drying their faces but they still had tears streaming. Ashleigh held George's hand and stood off to the side, George wrapping his arms around her again. She noticed Molly had come down as well. The minister went to the podium to finish the service and advised them that there would be food and drink for anyone who wanted to stay to share their good memories about Arthur with people. Ashleigh led George inside and to the couch.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Thank you, I'm sorry. There are many things I need to say to you and apologize for", George whispered, looking down. She put her finger under his chin and forced him to look at her.

"You don't need to apologize. I know how hard it is, but I had to suffer alone. I don't want you to do that, _I_ am here for you", she told him. "Please don't freeze me out anymore", she added as more tears fell from her already swollen eyes.

"I won't. I heard your speech and I realized how much more it must have hurt you because you lost _both_ of your parents. I realized… that I need you, more than I thought I would ever need anyone", he told her. She nodded and wrapped her arms around him again. They didn't know people were listening at the door until they came in. Ashleigh and George turned to the door when they heard a faint knock. Molly and Tracie were standing there.

"Thank you", Molly whispered, giving Ashleigh a hug. "For being there for us, but especially George. Merlin knows he needs you", Molly told her. She moved onto giving George a hug. Tracie looked at both Ashleigh and George and pulled them both into a tight hug. They noticed that some family members were behind them, staring at the couple. "These are some of Arthur's cousins", Molly told Ashleigh. They introduced themselves to her and thanked her as well.

Ashleigh and George stayed inside for a bit but then went to join the rest of the family. Everyone was so relieved that Molly and George had finally come out of their rooms. Everyone stayed for a few hours, just celebrating the life and love of Arthur Weasley but eventually they had to leave. Once everyone was gone Tracie pulled Ashleigh aside.

"You really love him, don't you?" Tracie asked.

"I do Aunt Tracie, I really do", Ashleigh told her.

"That's good, I'm glad that you have someone like him in your life", Tracie told her, Ashleigh nodded. "Professor Dumbledore also wrote me back. He said that you can take as much time as you want or need as long as I give the okay. He will have all of your work owled to you every night and you have to owl it back to him by the due dates", Tracie explained.

"I will, I promise. Thank you", Ashleigh said, giving her aunt a big hug.

"Anything for my favorite niece", she smiled.


	38. Time To Heal

That night, Ashleigh crawled into her cot in Ginny's room and let some more tears fall as she thought about the day that just finished. She hated funerals, but she was glad to at least say a final goodbye. She didn't know Arthur as long as everyone else but he had become a father figure in her life. That comforted Ashleigh, since her father had passed away. Hermione and Ginny seemed to be asleep already and she was on the brink of dozing off when someone sat at the end of her bed and whispered her name causing her to jump.

"Who's there?" She said, looking at the outline on the end of her bed. "George?" She asked.

"Yes", he whispered.

"What is it?" Ashleigh asked quietly.

"I can't sleep. I was hoping…" He stopped before finishing.

"That you could sleep with me?" She asked, she saw him nod. "Of course", she said, moving over and lifting the blanket so he could crawl in.

"Thank you", he whispered as he faced her.

"You're welcome", she said, wrapping her arms around him, cuddling. She could feel him start to shake and knew he was crying again. She pulled him closer to her and rubbed the back of his head. They lay like that for a while before both finally fell asleep, tangled in each other's arms.

The next morning everyone gathered in the kitchen, even Molly. The only people who weren't there were Ashleigh and George.

"Where are Ashleigh and George?" Harry asked. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other knowing, they had seen the couple when they woke up and decided to let them sleep. Everyone gave the girls questioning looks.

"Go look in my room. But don't wake them", Ginny told them. Everyone went quietly up the stairs and Ginny opened her door. Everyone looked in and saw the couple cuddled together on Ashleigh's bed and couldn't help but silently awe and stare. Ginny shut the door and made everyone go back downstairs, so the two wouldn't get woken up.

"So that's where he went", Fred said as he sat down. "I was wondering what happened to him when I woke up and he wasn't in his bed".

"I'm glad he has her. I have never seen him like this but she is the only one who can get through to him. You saw them at the hospital", Molly told them. They all nodded in agreement. Molly made up some eggs and bacon for breakfast and put two plates aside for Ashleigh and George.

Ashleigh woke up, the clock read 11:15am, she grumbled and looked at the still sleeping form of George, wrapped in her arms. She kissed his forehead which caused him to stir. "It's after 11 George", she whispered. He jumped and opened his eyes, not remembering where he was at first. When he saw Ashleigh, he relaxed. "Ready to start the day?" She asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be", he mumbled, sitting up.

"It's okay. I'll be with you every step of the way. It's only your family, Harry and Hermione", Ashleigh told him. He nodded as they left the room in their pyjamas and went downstairs hand-in-hand. They walked into the sitting room, where everyone was sitting.

"Morning love birds", Fred cooed at them. "Nice muscles", he said to George, who looked down. He realized he never put a shirt on before coming down. He shrugged and sat down, Ashleigh sitting down beside him.

"Did you sleep okay?" Molly asked George.

"Yeah eventually, when I actually got to sleep", he told his mum.

"Because of Ashleigh", Ginny smiled. George nodded as he put his arm around Ashleigh's shoulders.

"Always", he whispered, but everyone heard him and silently awed.

They knew, now that Arthur had officially been celebrated and spread along his favorite field, they could start to move on and heal, since they had the closure they needed. They sat there in a comfortable silence for a while before Molly spoke.

"We need to talk about school", Molly told the room at large.

"What about it?" Ginny asked.

"Tracie told me that she spoke with Dumbledore who had given permission for Ashleigh to miss some school and do homework by owl, if need be as she doesn't want to leave us", Molly started explaining. "I was wondering if you lot think you may need some time off?" She finished. They all looked at each other but didn't say anything. "I will give you guys another week but I don't want you to miss too much school. I'll be fine", she told them. "Harry, Hermione, unfortunately I can't give you the permission as I am not your legal guardian but if you write to your families, you're more than welcome to stay here". They nodded and wrote a quick letter each.

The week long holiday ended and unfortunately Harry had to return to school on his own as his aunt and uncle refused to give him the permission he needed and he couldn't get a hold of Sirius, who had given him Hogsmeade permission.

The second week they had off flew by. Everyone was completing their homework on time and owling it back to Hogwarts. Every night, George would end up going into Ashleigh's room as he found that was the only way he could sleep, in his girlfriend's arms. He was concerned once they were back at school, because he wouldn't be able to go to her room anymore. He ended up getting a sleeping potion from Madame Pomfrey every night so he could sleep through the night.

Professor Dumbledore ended up disappearing and Umbridge took over as Headmistress, Fred and George knew; this was the time to go.

They spent the next two months planning there exit and decided to do it when OWLs were taking place. They flew through the Great Hall on their brooms, lighting off fireworks every second. The students were cheering and hollering at the twins as they flew out the front door and let fireworks off in the shape of a 'W'. Ashleigh and Hermione looked at them as they hovered above them for a moment; they blew a kiss to the girls and sped off.


	39. Epilogue

The next year went by in a flash, Ashleigh and George, Fred and Hermione, Harry and Ginny were all still as strong as ever. Ron had started seeing Lavender Brown and they seemed to be good for each other. It took them a long time to get into a routine after Arthur passed away, but through the summer, they managed to get through it together. Many nights, George would spend at Ashleigh's house and then nights he wasn't there, she was at The Burrow.

Fred and George got the premises for their joke shop in Diagon Alley so they opened the shop and it was very successful. Molly was upset at first when they quit school, but after seeing how successful the joke shop was, she was alright with it. She was happy to see her boys focusing on something that made them happy.

Things with the Order went downhill after the passing of Arthur. They knew Harry, Ron and Hermione were going on a mission for Professor Dumbledore, who had been murdered atop the Astronomy Tower at the end of their 6th school year, but they had no idea what the mission entailed. Ashleigh wasn't included in the mission, so she stayed with Fred and George in their flat above the joke shop most times, after they got the premises.

When Ashleigh found out that Hogwarts had been taken over as well as the ministry, George refused to let her go back.

"But they'll probably come after you guys if they realise I'm registered but not there", Ashleigh told the twins.

"I don't care, I'm not letting you go back", George told her matter-of-factly.

"Me either", Fred told her. "I need company other than him. Hermione's gone for who knows how long".

"I won't be held responsible for Molly losing two children!" She yelled at them.

"You won't be", Fred said. He went over to the fireplace and he was gone in green flames. A few minutes later, he returned with Molly.

"You're not going back dear", she said sternly to Ashleigh. "Ginny isn't either".

"I don't want to be the one responsible for these knuckleheads getting killed", she told Molly.

"They're not going anywhere. And neither are you", Molly said, pulling her into a hug.

Ashleigh listened to the radio every day to keep tabs on what was going on. She didn't want to go out in public in case she was spotted and the floo network was being monitored for everyone. She had just turned 17 and passed her apparition test so she could apparate if she needed too, but she didn't like it much.

Every day on the radio there would be long lists of missing witches and wizards, news of muggle families going missing or being killed. She didn't know how much more she could take so she decided to try and help out in the shop with the twins. They figured they could use the help, so they allowed her too.

The next few months went by and none of them had heard anything from Harry, Ron or Hermione, so they didn't know if they were alive or dead or finding what they needed to find. Fred was getting more worried about it, but George and Ashleigh kept telling him that they were okay and they'd be back soon.

Professor Snape was headmaster of Hogwarts and two death eaters worked there as new professors. Ashleigh was glad she didn't go back. She enjoyed helping out in the shop but the worry of the death eaters or Voldemort himself coming for her and the twins was constantly in the back of her mind. They knew there was a fight coming up but didn't know how bad it might get, if it would turn into a full on war or not.

They hoped it wouldn't, but all they could do is wait and see.

 **A/N: So this is it for this story! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm writing a sequel for this, as I have more. I didn't want this story to run on & on though so I figured a sequel would be my best option.**

 **Thanks for reading and Please review**


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